The Lost Kingdom
by DillPickle56
Summary: While preparing to become Chief, Hiccup learns of a kingdom that vanished 100 years ago. Curious, he and Astrid travel to the kingdom with their dragons to investigate its disappearance. When they arrive, they meet an injured boy. But when they tend to his wounds, they find that the young swordsman is more than just a traveler...
1. Chapter 1: The Ancient Knight

**The Lost Kingdom**

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 **Author's Note:**

 **Hi, guys! So, I don't know if I told you this already, but I played through _Breath of the Wild_ several times, and I loved the game so much that I thought of writing a fan fiction. Well, I'll tell you the truth: I always had it in my head that if I were to write a fan fiction, it would be a crossover of How to Train Your Dragon. What if, partway through Link's journey, he meets Hiccup and Astrid? I'm not completely sure how this is going to go down yet, but I have a general idea. This is only the start. For those of you following my other stories, I apologize for the delay on those, but I've been extremely busy. I spent several hours today writing this, but I should have been working on a coding assignment. Oh, well! The night's still young! I'll just go ahead and start working on that.**

 **SPOILER WARNING!**

 **This is apparently something that bothers a lot of people, so I'll say it now: This story (and this chapter, for that matter) contains major spoilers for _The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild_. If that bothers you, play the game first. Although, I have a feeling the spoilers won't bother too many people. I mean, I was spoiled for how Hiccup and Astrid got together in _Race to the Edge_ , but everybody saw that one coming, right?**

* * *

 _It is a peaceful time for the Vikings. Johann's forces have been defeated and unity has been achieved between many tribes of the Barbaric Archipelago. With the war over, Hiccup and his friends have left Dragon's Edge and returned to their home island, Berk._

 _Eager to recover from his injuries, Stoick the Vast has begun preparations to pass the title of Chieftain to his son. Hiccup is less enthusiastic, but while reading about Berk's allies, he stumbles upon old treaties signed by the king of Hyrule, a kingdom which mysteriously vanished 100 years ago. Curious, he decides to investigate._

 _Only Hiccup's betrothed, Astrid, agrees to accompany him on his excursion. Stoick is hesitant to let him leave, but admits his own curiosity about the kingdom's disappearance and decides to let him go. Eager for adventure, the couple leaves Berk with their dragons and a large pack of supplies._

 _Upon their arrival, the two discover a land mass much larger than Berk. Spotting a small village on the beach, they hide their dragons in a nearby alcove and begin their investigation of the lost kingdom…_

* * *

 _Chapter 1  
_ _The Ancient Knight_

Soaring over the ocean, the two Vikings observed the village through their small spyglasses. The night covered their presence, and nobody seemed to be looking up at the sky, but they were cautious to be quiet regardless.

"There are definitely people here," Astrid observed. "Those huts are lit from the inside."

"I see someone riding towards the village on … some kind of animal," said Hiccup. He zoomed in through his spyglass. "I think that's a horse. Or a donkey. Mule?"

"I see him, too," said Astrid. "Shall we land?"

"This kingdom hasn't kept in contact with Berk in at least one hundred years," said Hiccup. "If we're going down there, we'll have to hide our identities."

"And just how do you plan on doing that?" asked Astrid. "Do you have a cloak or something?"

Hiccup smirked. "Let's land and I'll show you."

As soon as they were on the ground, the Vikings bid their dragons goodbye and started walking toward the village. Hiccup took a large folded fabric from his backpack and spread it out. Once he threw it over himself and put the hood over his head, he turned toward his betrothed. "How do I look?" he asked.

"You look ridiculous, but at the same time, mysterious," said Astrid.

"How does this look ridiculous?" asked Hiccup.

"I'm just not used to seeing you in a plain brown cloak," said Astrid.

"Well, this'll have to do," said Hiccup. "Put your hood up and we'll head into town."

"Why do we need our hoods? We don't really _look_ like Vikings," said Astrid.

"Once we're in town, you'll understand why," said Hiccup.

Astrid reluctantly put her hood over her head. Satisfied, Hiccup smiled and led the way into town. Suddenly struck with a realization, Astrid asked, "How do you plan to communicate? Do you speak their language?"

"The people of Hyrule speak Hylian," said Hiccup. "I already speak several related languages, so learning theirs didn't take long."

When the pair reached the village, they found an old man sporting dark skin and white hair. Clearing his throat, Hiccup began speaking Hylian: "Hello, sir. Can you tell me where I am?"

"Not from around here, are you?" the man replied. "This is Lurelin Village. We are proud fishermen. Have you come to taste our local catch?"

Astrid took notice of the man's ears. Instead of being round, like that of a normal human, this man's ears had tips pointed outwards and slightly upward. She realized this must have been the reason for Hiccup's cloak and her hood.

Hiccup was about to reply, but the loud cry of an animal caught his attention. A black horse with a trimmed mane sprinted into the town and came to an abrupt stop in front of the old man and the Vikings. The horse cried out again and Hiccup then saw the hooded youth on the animal's back. The boy coughed and raised his head up slightly. He drew a labored breath and wheezed out, "Help me." With that, he fell off his horse and collapsed on the ground.

Astrid gasped. The boy's tunic and trousers were torn and he was bruised all over. There were cuts on his arms and legs.

"Oh, dear!" the old man shouted. "We have a healer, but he's out getting supplies!"

"We can help him," Hiccup assured the man. He turned towards Astrid and whispered in Norse, "Help me get this kid indoors."

* * *

The Norse couple tended to the boy's wounds under the old man's watch. The man had told Hiccup he knew the boy, but did not know his name. The man had detected some accent in Hiccup's voice and wouldn't leave the two to heal him alone. Eventually, the boy had been bandaged up, so Hiccup and Astrid waited for him to come to. The boy's appearance was strangely familiar. He had dirty blond hair and was approximately the same height as Astrid. He could have easily been mistaken for her twin brother, but his face was different, his hair was darker, and his ears were pointed at the ends.

The old man yawned. "These old eyes need rest," he said. "It's nearly midnight, and I have to go to bed. I'm trusting you two, you hear? If anything happens to this boy before morning, it's on you."

"We'll take good care of him," said Hiccup.

As soon as the man left, Hiccup turned to Astrid. "Sorry about that," he said. "I've gotta teach you to speak Hylian."

"I'm not as green as you think, Hiccup," said Astrid. "I'm catching on. He doesn't want to leave us alone with him, but he has to."

Hiccup opened his mouth to reply, but a moan from the bed cut him off. Both Vikings turned toward the wounded boy. He was stirring. "Blood moon … Monsters … Zelda … Stop! Ganon!" He gasped and shot upright, opening his panicked eyes.

"Whoa! Careful!" said Hiccup, speaking as fluently as he could in the boy's language. "You got beat up real bad, so take it easy."

The boy desperately looked around and furiously glared at Hiccup. "My sword! Where is it!?" he fumed.

Confused by the boy's anger, he said, "It's outside with your horse."

Before anyone could react, the boy leaped out of bed and sprinted outside in just his undershorts. Once he was back inside, he sat on the bed with the sword and said, "I don't know who you are, but if you ever find yourself taking care of me again, do _not_ separate me from this sword! Got it?"

Hiccup didn't reply. He was completely confused by the boy's attachment to his sword.

"What's he saying?" asked Astrid.

The boy seemed startled by hearing another language, but without missing a beat, he replied in very fluent Norse, "I said not to take my sword away again!"

"Wait a minute!" said Hiccup, not bothering to speak Hylian. "You speak Norse?"

"I am fluent in several foreign languages," said the boy, a little bit more calmly. "I'm required to be so as a royal guardsman."

"Royal guardsman?" Hiccup was confused. "So the kingdom still exists?"

The boy's face fell and his pointed ears drooped a little. "No," he replied, his voice somber. "As outsiders, you probably wouldn't understand, but this kingdom was wiped out by a monster called Calamity Ganon one hundred years ago."

"Then how can you be a royal guardsman if you were born after the kingdom's destruction?" asked Astrid.

"Because … well …" The boy's voice trailed off. "Do you want me to tell you the whole story?"

"Yes, please," said Hiccup. "That's actually why I'm here."

"Good," said the boy. "Ten thousand years ago, a prophecy foretold the return of Ganon, a monster that had been beat back time and time again by a hero wielding the sword that seals the darkness and a princess whose blood carries the power of the goddess Hylia. The prophecy foretold Ganon's transformation into Malice, and his name from that moment forth was Calamity Ganon. There was also a princess at that time with sacred powers, whose appointed knight was chosen by the sword that seals the darkness. Yet another incarnation of the Hero of Time, so called. You see, Ganon's return always coincides with the discovery of the legendary sword that seals the darkness. I believe that is how they knew for sure that he was coming. At the time, a highly advanced tribe, the Sheikah, worked closely with the royal family of Hyrule. In order to combat the Calamity, the Sheikah constructed four mechanical behemoths known as the Divine Beasts. These beasts were individually controlled by four skilled pilots from across our land. The Sheikah also constructed a legion of smaller mechanical foot soldiers they called Guardians. The plan was to weaken Ganon with the power of the Divine Beasts while the Guradians defended the princess and the knight as they fought the monster. Ganon stood no chance. The knight was victorious, and the princess sealed the Calamity away, fulfilling the prophecy."

"That sounds like a fairy tale to me," said Astrid.

"I'm not surprised at all," said the boy. "That's what everybody thought of it when the details of the battle were lost to the sands of time. But I'm not finished yet.

"One hundred-seventeen years ago, the royal family welcomed their new princess into the world. Her name was Zelda. When she was only six years old, her mother died suddenly. Even I don't know what caused her to pass on so quickly. She died a year before Princess Zelda was set to begin her training to unlock her sacred powers. In losing her mother, the princess lost her teacher. She trained alone, and got nowhere. Unfortunately, over the next few years, signs of Calamity Ganon's resurrection began to manifest themselves. Increased monster activity and tremors in Death Mountain, for example. The Sheikah had been cast out and exiled due to the people's fear of their technology, but it was clear to the king that they were needed again. The Sheikah began serving the royal family once again, in secret. Under orders from the king, they excavated the remains of the Guardians and the Divine Beasts and began repairing them. The king's plan was to follow the footsteps of our ancient ancestors. But there was a problem. No matter how hard she tried, Princess Zelda could not unlock her sacred powers.

"At the time, there was a knight in training, roughly a year older than the princess. He was the most accomplished swordsman of all the trainees, and had even bested the captain of the royal guard. When he was seventeen, he was sent out with other trainees to find the sword that seals the darkness. It was known to be in the Great Hyrule Forest, but anyone who dared enter the forest was immediately blown away by the wind. The knight in question knew this, but was determined to try. The night before he was set to try to enter the forest, a dream came to him. He woke up in the middle of the night and followed instructions given to him in the dream. He reached the center of the forest and found the sword. When he pulled the sword from the pedestal, he knew what he was to do.

"He returned to his squad with the sword and he was rushed to Hyrule Castle to meet the king and the princess. The king praised him for finding the ancient weapon and the knight was sent to train with it immediately. But the princess, sixteen years old and yet unable to use her powers, was furious. She pushed herself even harder to find her powers, but failed again. She was growing desperate.

"Six months after the sword was found, the Sheikah had finished repairing the Divine Beasts. The time had come to select their pilots. Mipha of the Zora was chosen to pilot Divine Beast Vah Ruta, Revali of the Rito was selected to pilot Vah Medoh, Daruk of the Gorons was chosen for Vah Rudania, and Urbosa of the Gerudo was chosen for Vah Naboris. A ceremony was held to properly inaugurate these special individuals the King dubbed Champions. A separate ceremony, supposedly Daruk's idea, was held for the knight, who had been appointed by the king to protect Princess Zelda. It looked like the plan to seal Ganon away was going to work."

"Except the princess couldn't unlock her power, right?" asked Hiccup.

"Right," said the boy. "On Princess Zelda's seventeenth birthday, she was finally allowed under Lanayru's Decree to train at the Spring of Wisdom. Her knight accompanied her to the top of Mount Lanayru, where the spring is. She tried with all her will to unlock her sacred power, but failed yet again. When the knight and the princess reached the foot of the mountain to meet up with the Champions, the ground suddenly shook violently. An outsider might have dismissed it as an earthquake, but the Champions could tell it was unnatural. Ganon had broken free from beneath the castle and was wreaking havoc on Castle Town. The Champions rushed to their Divine Beasts to target and strike Ganon, but it was all for nothing. Ganon unleashed Malice all across the land of Hyrule and used it to take control of the Guardians and the Divine Beasts. The malice fused with parts of Sheikah technology and formed monsters – phantoms of Ganon. They subdued and murdered the Champions. I can only guess that Calamity Ganon himself killed the king and everyone in the castle at the time.

"Despite everything, the princess survived and somehow unlocked her power. Her knight was gravely wounded while defending her. He would have died, had the princess not sent him to the Shrine of Resurrection, where he would heal in stasis for an indefinite amount of time. She hid the legendary sword in the forest once again, and returned to Hyrule Castle to face Ganon alone. Even to this day, she continues to fight him and keep him contained in the castle, probably in spirit form to keep herself from aging and dying.

"A hundred years after this event we call the Great Calamity, the knight woke up in the Shrine of Resurrection completely healed, but devoid of memories. The spirit of the king disguised himself as an old man and helped him regain at least some of his strength before sending him to Kakariko Village. There, the elder of the Sheikah, Lady Impa, tasked the knight with recovering his memories with the help of the Sheikah Slate and freeing the Divine Beasts from Ganon's control. He has one Divine Beast left to free, and one memory tied to the Sheikah Slate left to recall before he is ready to confront Ganon."

"How do you know all this?" asked Astrid. "You don't look much older than we are."

"I'm eighteen," said the boy. "Well, technically one-hundred-eighteen."

"How is that possible?" said Hiccup.

"Why do you think I was so desperate to get this sword back?" asked the boy. He held the sword up to them. "I _am_ the knight."

"What?" Hiccup's immediate reaction was disbelief. He shook his head. "That's not true," he said. "You're crazy."

"Then go ahead," he said. "Try touching it." He held the sheathed sword out to Hiccup, hilt outwards. "Only those chosen by the blade can even touch this hilt, gloved hand or not."

Hiccup, still in disbelief, touched the hilt and cried out in pain. He pulled his hand back to get away from the burning sensation and instinctively pulled out and activated his finished Dragon Blade.

In response, the knight unsheathed his sword and struck the Dragon Blade with it. "I would think twice if I were you, Viking," he said. "The Master Sword can probably cut through whatever those rods are made of."

Hiccup stared into the knight's eyes, still in disbelief.

"Think about it," the boy said. "With no royalty in Hyrule, all ties to the outside world would have been completely severed. You must have come here to investigate Hyrule and learn of its disappearance, right? You have your answer."

Hiccup considered this for a moment. More quickly than he had anticipated, he had gotten what he wanted from his excursion, as the strange boy had so astutely remarked. He may have been small, but he could tell the young knight was incredibly strong. He found himself beginning to believe the narrative, so he deactivated the Dragon Blade and attached it to his belt again.

"Wise choice," said the boy, sheathing the Master Sword.

"How did you end up like this?" asked Astrid.

"Well, I was on my way to Lurelin Village," said the knight. "There was a salesman on the way, so I decided to see if I could sell him anything. You see, I'm preparing to make a huge purchase right now, so I sell gems I collect whenever I can. Turns out, the guy was a member of the Yiga Clan in disguise. He tried to assassinate me. While I was fighting back, Stal monsters popped up out of the ground. They beat me really badly, and I was grazed by the Yiga's Demon Carver. I managed to take them all down, but I got away with bad wounds. I got on my horse, Franklin, and he brought me here. Next thing I know, I'm here with you guys. Normally, I would have healed myself with an ability I got from Mipha's spirit when I freed her Divine Beast, but I can only use it so much before waiting twenty hours to use it again."

"If you still have to free a Divine Beast, why did you end up in Lurelin Village?" asked Hiccup.

"I'm tracking down a traveling artist," said the knight. "His name is Pikango, and he's helped me track down most of the locations where I can recall my lost memories." He reached for the belt of his torn clothes and pulled a stone tablet from it. He interacted with the device and showed the Vikings a series of images. "Do you see these pictures? They're locations I traveled to with the princess as her appointed knight. Whenever I run into Pikango, I show him one of these. He tells me where I can find the location where the image was taken."

"Why is this important?" asked Astrid.

"It's what Zelda wants," said the knight. "Lady Impa told me to find all of the locations and recall as much as I can. When I do, I'm going back to Kakariko Village."

"Can the artist wait until morning?" asked Hiccup. "You seem exhausted."

"So do you," said the knight. "I'll rest until morning, but as soon as the sun is up, I'm tracking down Pikango and leaving this village."

"You're not going to sleep here, are you?" asked Astrid.

"I'll throw some clothes on and spend the rest of the night in the inn," said the knight. "You have my thanks for patching me up, but I won't need the bandages in the morning."

Hiccup handed the knight his saddle bag. From it, the boy pulled out a pair of trousers and a bright blue tunic. After he was fully dressed, he motioned for the Vikings to follow him outside. He guided his horse to a reasonable spot outside the inn and the Vikings followed him into the small inn. In the presence of the innkeeper, Hiccup was careful to speak Hylian when he told the knight he couldn't get beds for himself and Astrid. The knight silently handed Hiccup a silver rupee.

"That's enough to pay for two soft beds and a breakfast for you both tomorrow morning," said the knight. "A token of my thanks."

"You don't have to do that," said Hiccup. "We could have slept outside."

"On my conscience? Not a chance."

Hiccup handed the rupee to the innkeeper and asked for a soft bed for himself and Astrid. In exchange, he was given a red rupee, which he knew was worth 20 rupees. As the knight was about to retire to his bed, Hiccup said, "Wait!" The knight turned and waited. "What's your name?"

"My name?" The knight seemed surprised. "I must not have said. "My name is Link. Yours?"

"My name is Hiccup," said Hiccup. "This is my betrothed, Astrid."

"Betrothed? If I'd known, I would have suggested getting one bed for you both!"

"No, it's okay," said Hiccup. "When we announced our betrothal, we promised our parents we wouldn't even sleep in the same bed until we're married."

Link nodded. "Well, I suppose it was a wise decision. Goodnight, guys."

"Goodnight, Link," said Hiccup.

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 **Don't forget to follow and review! This is my first attempt at any crossover of any kind. Also, if you've played _Breath of the Wild_ , you know Link doesn't talk very much. But I'm sure if he was faced with a situation where he had to explain the fall of Hyrule, he'd have to talk nonstop for at least ten minutes. There's so much you have to know to understand how Calamity Ganon reduced Hyrule to the state it's in at the start of the game. Anyway, I probably won't write the next chapter until next weekend, so I'll see you soon! Bye!**

 **UPDATE: Okay, so I'm fixing a few mistakes with this. I had previously spelled Pikango's name wrong. It's been a few days since I put this up, and I just looked at the analytics. Due to having a larger number of viewers than I originally expected, I'm going to try to get the next chapter up in a few days. Unfortunately, I'm going to be extremely busy because I'm moving back home from university this coming week, so I'm not going to get anything else done until the next couple of weeks have passed. Since it's finally going to be summer, my YouTube channel will also be more active, so look forward to that, as well as some Rocket League streams on my Twitch channel.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Decaying Castle

**Hey, guys! I expected to have this done sooner, but guess what? I was in the hospital last week with a collapsed lung! Can you believe it? If you don't, I understand. It's not something you see every day, but it's common for tall, skinny guys like me. Anyway, I'm fine now, and I'm home from college, which is fun. I don't know what to think about this chapter. It delves a bit more into _How to Train Your Dragon_ and _Race to the Edge_ than it does _Breath of the Wild_ , but we'll get a lot of lore from the game in the next chapter. You can trust me on that one. Thanks, and enjoy!** _  
_

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 _Chapter 2  
The Decaying Castle_

As Hiccup awoke, he felt a hand on his face. He recognized it as Astrid's hand and slowly opened his eyes. Astrid was grinning so broadly that her ears must have been red, though he couldn't see them because of her hood. Hiccup smiled back.

"Good morning," he whispered.

"Good morning," said Astrid.

"How long have you been there?" asked Hiccup.

"Just a couple of minutes," said Astrid. "I was going to wake you, but I couldn't help doting on you for a little while."

Hiccup reached up and pulled Astrid down to him by the neck to kiss her cheek. After he had done so, she took his hand away and stood up. "Come on, sleepyhead. Get up."

"Alright," said Hiccup. Careful to keep his hood over his head, he stood up, made the bed, and followed Astrid outside, thanking the innkeeper on the way out. Once they were outside, Hiccup looked around, wondering, "Where can we get breakfast? Link said we could buy it somewhere."

"Why don't we ask him?" asked Astrid, gesturing to a campfire on the shoreline. Next to the campfire, Link was speaking to a man with a large backpack and hairdo in the shape of a paintbrush.

"He's still here?" Hiccup was slightly surprised. He approached the knight, Astrid in tow. As they got closer, Hiccup could hear them discussing something.

"What?" Link was saying. "Are you sure it's Hyrule Castle?"

"The castle is the only place with this architecture," said the artist. His voice was scratchy with age.

Link let out something that sounded like a mix of a sigh and a groan. "I was afraid of that," he said. "I've only been in there once, and I barely made it inside. I didn't think I'd be going back so soon."

"Don't do it, kid," said the artist. "You told me what happened last time you went to the Sacred Grounds ruins."

"I have to, Pikango," said Link. "You don't know this, but I'm under directions from Lady Impa herself. I'm on a mission to annihilate Ganon and get Zelda back. Who knows? We might even be able to restore Hyrule to what it was one hundred years ago."

Pikango sighed. "Well, I can't stop you. Just be careful."

"When am I not careful?" asked Link.

"I remember the state you were in when you came back to Kakariko Village from the Lanayru East Gate," said Pikango.

"I've gotten much better at defending myself since then," said Link. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll meet you back in Kakariko Village when I'm done. How quickly can you get there?"

"Probably two days by horse," said Pikango. "Is that fast enough?"

"That's more than enough," said Link. "It'll take at least a day for me to get to the castle, let alone figure out how to get in. Once I'm out, I'll head to Kakariko Village."

"Alright," said Pikango. He walked over to an easel nearby and picked up a paintbrush.

Link turned around and noticed the two Berkians watching him. "Oh," he said, speaking Norse. "Good morning, Hiccup. How long have you been standing there?"

"Just long enough to know you're going to Hyrule Castle," said Hiccup. "Why is that dangerous?"

"Remember what I said about the Guardians being controlled by Ganon?" asked Link. "There are at least 20 of them in Hyrule Field and Castle Town combined. There are even flying Guardians at the castle. If they see you, they shoot beams of bright blue light at you. I've nearly been hit several times. You have to be fast to avoid them."

"We might have a solution to that," said Astrid. "We'll talk about it over breakfast, if that's okay."

"You don't have to do that," said Link. "You got what you wanted. Go home while you can. Hyrule isn't safe anymore."

"Which is why we have to stay," said Hiccup. "I also heard you're going to kill Ganon and save the princess. I came here thinking Hyrule was gone. Now I know you plan to bring it back."

"You don't have to be involved," said Link.

"I don't want to look back on this day and wish I could have helped you," said Hiccup. "I can't have that on my conscience, Link."

The knight sighed. After a moment of thought, he said, "Alright, Hiccup. You and Astrid can help me as much as you want. You can leave any time, but I have a feeling you won't until I see Ganon's defeat through. To be honest, I don't know how long that will take. It could take weeks."

"We'll figure it out as we go along," said Hiccup.

"Oh, and one other thing," said Link. "Take off your hoods. You don't need them."

"Why do you think we have them on?" asked Astrid.

"To cover your ears," said Link. "Don't worry; it won't make you any less welcome."

Hesitantly, Hiccup and Astrid lowered their hoods. Once they were down, Link nodded. "Good. Now, let's go get some breakfast. I'll pay."

* * *

After breakfast, Link followed Hiccup and Astrid to the alcove where the dragons were hiding. As they approached, Hiccup realized Link had a sword, but no shield. "Why don't you have a shield?" he asked.

"I had one, but it broke last night," said Link. "The Yiga assassin broke it with his demon carver. It was already badly damaged. I've met people who say there are a lot of great weapons and shields in Hyrule Castle. One guy even said I could sneak in through the docks in the back of the castle moat, but I couldn't find said docks."

"That's unfortunate," said Astrid.

"What made you think about shields?" asked Link.

"A good friend of mine once told me that in combat, a shield is the most important thing you can have," said Hiccup. "He told me that if I must make a choice between a sword and a shield, I should take the shield."

"That's good advice," said Link. "I've found myself relying on shields more than I first thought I would. Turns out, I can use them to create an opening to attack monsters. I even know of a shield that can be used as a weapon."

"What does it look like?" asked Astrid.

"The Lynel shield – at least the lowest tier one I can find – is essentially a large plated axe head," said Link. "The second tier looks like a three-bladed axe, and the third one looks kind of like the second tier, except tougher."

"That sounds like the kind of shield I would use," said Astrid.

"There's one shield I do want to look for when I'm in the castle, though," said Link. "The Hylian Shield is supposed to be designed to outlast all other shields. It's rumored to be the same shield used by the Hero of Twilight, but I'm pretty sure it's a replica."

"Hiccup has a really strong shield that turns into a grappling hook _and_ a crossbow," said Astrid. "It's made out of a special metal our friend discovered a while back."

"You must have been through some battles to have warranted such a feat," said Link.

"We have," said Hiccup. "We've just won the biggest war our island has seen in over a century."

"How big, exactly?" asked Link.

"Berk and its closest allies against an army of dragon hunters," said Hiccup.

"Why were you fighting dragon hunters? Don't you also kill dragons?"

"For three hundred years, we have," said Hiccup. "We don't do it anymore. Five years ago, we discovered that dragons can be trained."

"Incredible!" said Link. "When I was in the royal guard, I knew the entire Barbaric Archipelago was at war with the dragons. To think that your tribe put an end to it… I must say I'm impressed."

"Well, there are some who disagree," said Astrid. "There are still Vikings out there who kill dragons."

"I don't doubt that, but it sounds to me like you got several other tribes to be at peace with dragons," said Link. "It's a start."

A growl silenced the knight and he reached for his sword. "What was that?"

"It's okay," said Hiccup. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Toothless!" he called. "Stormfly! Come on out!"

The dragons came into view and approached the Vikings. Link kept his hand on his sword, but held it in its sheath as Hiccup reached out with his hand to pat Toothless on the nose. The Night Fury eyed Link and growled, baring his teeth. In response, the young knight tightened his grip on the Master Sword and glared threateningly.

"Hey, calm down," said Hiccup. "It's okay, Toothless. He's a friend." He turned towards Link and said, "Drop the sword."

Instead, Link released his grip on the weapon and put his hand down. He reached into his bag and pulled out a Hyrule bass, holding it out to the dragon. Toothless sniffed the fish and ate it straight from Link's hand.

Hiccup gasped. "How did you know to do that?"

"I befriend dogs by feeding them meat," said Link. "Horses like apples. I always see the green dragon Farosh in the waters of the Faron region. I figure he eats fish, so why not other dragons?"

"Good thinking," said Astrid.

Link's gaze shifted down the side of the dragon. "Is that a saddle?" he asked.

"Yep," said Hiccup. "We ride dragons."

"Let me get this straight," said Link. "Your plan is to fly me into Hyrule Castle on a flying, fire breathing lizard?"

Astrid and Hiccup nodded in unison.

Link stared at the two for a moment and chuckled. "I love it, but you guys are as crazy as I am."

"Not likely," said Astrid. "Hiccup is probably crazier."

"Trust me, Astrid," said Link. "Just half of the things I've done since waking up in that shrine is enough to drive other travelers mad."

Hiccup mounted Toothless and reached toward Link with his hand. "Trust me; you'll love this." Link grabbed Hiccup's hand and swung himself onto Toothless's back as Astrid mounted Stormfly. "Let's go," said Hiccup.

* * *

As they approached the castle, Hiccup noticed a strange purple and black aurora shrouding it. It looked beautiful, but Hiccup could tell it wasn't good just by looking at it. "What is that?" he asked.

"That's the Malice of Calamity Ganon," said Link. "Be careful. If you touch the bogs, they will drain the life out of you. If the beast breaks free, it will destroy what's left of Hyrule and wreak havoc on the rest of the world." Suddenly, he gasped. "Stop, dragon!" he shouted.

Toothless and Stormfly came to an abrupt halt.

"What is it?" asked Hiccup. "What's going on?"

"Look!" Link pointed above the castle.

Above the towers, an enormous beast head covered in Malice flew around the castle. It resembled a boar, but its movements seemed like that of a dragon. It let out a massive roar, staring down the dragons and their riders.

"He's onto us!" said Astrid.

Just then, bright golden light began shining in what Hiccup guessed was the castle throne room. In response, the beast head roared again, dissipating without warning.

"Oh, thank Hylia," said Link, letting out a sigh of relief. "Zelda's still got him. Let's keep going."

As they approached, Hiccup noticed a beam of red light pointing at Stormfly. "Um, Link?"

Link noticed it, too. "ASTRID, WATCH OUT!" he shouted, jumping off Toothless. He quickly took his bow off his back and nocked an arrow. The source of the red light appeared to be a turret of some kind. Link released the arrow, hitting the turret directly in the eye. Before Hiccup could fly down to catch him, the knight deployed a glider and began descending towards a tower on the west side. "Quick! Inside!"

The dragons followed Link to a bridge and landed inside the room across from the tower. Once inside, they were faced by a large black monster holding a large two-handed sword.

"Black Moblin! Are you kidding me?" Link unsheathed the Master Sword and rushed towards the monster. It swung at him, but Link flipped backwards and unleashed a flurry of attacks on the Moblin, killing it instantly. The monster exploded into purple dust. Fangs and a horn from the monster remained on the floor, which Link picked up and placed in his pouch. "This'll come in handy," he muttered.

Hiccup was impressed with how quickly Link had taken down the Moblin, but didn't say anything. Instead, he took in his surroundings. "Where are we?" he asked. There was an overturned queen-sized bed, a fireplace, a desk, a fancy chair, a footrest and a changing screen.

"It seems familiar," said Link.

"What's this book?" asked Astrid, holding the book cover up so Link could see.

Link sheathed the Master Sword and read the front cover. "Diary of–." He stopped short of saying the name.

"Who?"

"Guys, we're in Princess Zelda's room," said Link.

"Are you sure?" asked Astrid.

"Yeah," said Hiccup. "That diary has her name on it."

"Wait, then that means…" Link looked up at the doorway to the bridge above them and muttered, "No, wait a minute. This layout doesn't make any sense! If this is her bedroom, that means her study is across that bridge, so why is the door up there?"

"Well, look at this," said Hiccup, pointing to the rubble underneath the doorway. "Doesn't it look like there used to be a stairwell over here? It must have broken down."

Link studied the area and nodded. "Good point. Well, if this was Zelda's bedroom, and the Sheikah Slate belonged to her, that must mean she took the picture on that bridge out there. I'll have to stand on that bridge for a minute or two to recall whatever happened here that's so important."

"But there's a flying Guardian outside," said Astrid. "It'll spot you if you go out there."

"I know what I'm doing," said Link. "You guys stay here and look around if you want. I'll go kill that Skywatcher and recall the last memory." Before either Viking could reply, he jumped up the side of the wall to where the door was and walked out onto the bridge.

Astrid shook her head. "Does he seem … cocky?" she asked.

"I don't think so," said Hiccup. "We've only been in Hyrule for a couple of days, Astrid. Link's been here all his life. Maybe he knows more about the Guardians than we give him credit for."

"He didn't want us to come with him, I can tell," said Astrid. "He accepted our help, but I can't shake the feeling that he didn't want to."

"Astrid, for all we know, Link has probably been traveling alone for months," said Hiccup. "He's used to it."

"But he doesn't deserve to be alone," said Astrid. "Doesn't he realize that?"

"Maybe he doesn't think about it," said Hiccup. "I used to be like that. When I was training Toothless, I did it all alone. I didn't think about letting anyone help me."

"Only because nobody would have helped you," said Astrid. "Most of us – no; all of us – would have killed Toothless instantly."

"Right," said Hiccup. "Bad example."

"But you would have tried to take the Red Death down by yourself if I hadn't convinced the others to trust you," said Astrid.

"Right," Hiccup repeated. "Hey, speaking of which, how did you do that? I don't think I ever asked."

Astrid chuckled. "It _has_ been five years, so I hardly remember, but I think it had something to do with threatening Snotlout…"

"Obviously," said Hiccup.

"…finding Fishlegs in his house, and breaking up a fight between the twins. But the strange thing is, I don't think it took much convincing. They saw what you did with Hookfang in the arena and saw something none of the adults did. They saw potential. Even Snotlout, somehow. When I explained to them that we could never train more dragons unless they helped you take down the Red Death, they were in. I don't think any of them really wanted to kill dragons after all. Especially after what you did."

"You did," said Hiccup. "I'm pretty sure you were hoping to have Hookfang's head."

"Hiccup, I only wanted to kill dragons to live up to the reputation of my family," said Astrid. "Something changed the night I found out what was going on with you and Toothless. I realized the dragons were slaves, and killing them didn't appeal anymore. The day you killed the Red Death was one of the best … and worst days of my life."

"I couldn't have done it without you guys," said Hiccup.

"That's why I don't want Link to do this alone," asked Astrid. "You see what I mean, don't you?"

Hiccup nodded. "Absolutely. I don't want him to, either." He paused. "What did you mean when you said the Red Death's defeat was one of the worst days of your life?"

"When we found you, we thought you'd died," said Astrid. "I thought I'd never see you again, and when I found out you were alive, I was so overjoyed, I couldn't hide it. Every day for the next two weeks, I waited for you to wake up. I knew you would, but I was terrified."

Hiccup smiled playfully. "So you admit you even loved me back then, huh?"

Astrid smirked back at him. "Now, you get it?"

Hiccup laughed. "I mean, I had my hopes. You _did_ kiss me at least three times within the year after I woke up."

"We were kids back then," said Astrid. "When my parents saw me kiss you at Thawfest, they got mad at me. They told me I could still be friends with you, but they said not to be sweet with you until I was at least an adult. By the time we built Dragon's Edge, I had almost completely given up on a relationship with you."

"And look at us now," said Hiccup, reaching out to hold her betrothal pendant. Before he could grasp it, he heard the sound of shoes hitting the floor behind him. He turned around and saw Link rising up from his landing. "Oh, Link! There you are! Did you remember what you needed to?"

Link didn't answer. He stood up straight, but his gaze was fixed to the floor in front of him. His eyebrows were creased downwards in what Hiccup could only identify as unparalleled anger. He looked even more angry than the night prior, when he had been separated from the Master Sword.

"What is it?" asked Astrid. "Are you okay?"

"Let's go," said Link, his voice cold. "I just need two more things and we can leave."

* * *

Link led the dragons and their riders to a large library filled with lizard-like creatures, which he immediately destroyed with explosive arrows. When the monsters had been taken care of, he found a panel in the wall he could move. Using the Magnesis rune on his Sheikah Slate, he pulled the panel out and led the Vikings into it. Hiccup instructed the dragons to guard the entrance and followed the knight down to an area that looked like docks.

"Well, looks like we found those docks you were talking about before," he said. When Link didn't respond, Hiccup grew concerned. "Link, are you sure you're okay?"

Astrid grabbed Hiccup's wrist and shook her head, as if to say, "Leave him alone for now."

Link was staring at an unlit fire pit in the middle of the balcony. Without warning, he fired an explosive arrow at it. As the fire burned in the pit, the ground began to shake. Behind them, a rounded structure emerged from the ground. On it was a door and a pedestal. Link held the Sheikah Slate to the pedestal and opened the door. Instead of entering, however, he turned and started walking back up to the library. Hiccup and Astrid followed suit.

As he led them through the castle, Link slayed monsters left and right until he came to a large room with a large pile of bones in the middle. He motioned for the Vikings to stop and entered the room by himself. A gate shut behind him and the bones assembled into a large one-eyed skeletal monster. Wanting to get rid of the creature quickly, he hit it in the eye with a shock arrow and began hitting it with the Master Sword, just as he had with the Stalnox he had encountered in Akkala a few nights ago. Once the monster was dead, he opened the chest in the room. Inside was the shield he had been looking for. He strapped it to his back and turned to leave, only to find the Vikings staring at him in disbelief. Even their dragons seemed to be surprised at him. As he exited the room, he uttered his first words since Zelda's bedroom.

"I got what I came for. Let's get the blue blazes out of here."

With that, they walked outside, mounted the dragons, and left. Link was silent the entire way. Hiccup wanted to ask the young knight what was bothering him, but he decided it was best to leave him be until spoken to. Link eventually pointed to what looked like a large arena and they touched down near it. Pools of Malice covered the side of the arena, but that didn't stop Link from walking inside. When Hiccup and Astrid followed him, they stopped in their tracks at the sight of what was inside.

Hiccup had read about this creature, but had never known it really existed. The part man, part lion, part horse monster stood in the center of the arena with a large sword, a shield, and a bow strapped to its back. Upon hearing Link's footsteps, the creature turned towards him and stared him down for a few seconds. Link stopped and drew the Master Sword and his new shield. After letting out a scream of what sounded like pain mixed with anger, he charged at the beast.

In response, the Lynel roared its own war cry and drove its sword into the ground, sending shockwaves through the whole coliseum.

"TOOTHLESS!"

* * *

 **Sorry for the cliffhanger. I had a completely different ending in mind for this chapter, but it would have taken way too many words that I consider ideal. Thank you so much for reading. Don't be shy to leave a review to let me know how you think I'm doing. Don't worry; Link's anger will be explained in the next chapter, but I'm sure you already know what's going on if you've played the game already. Thanks again!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Hero's Curse

_Chapter 3  
The Hero's Curse  
_

Link lunged at the beast and swung the Master Sword at it as fast as he could. When the Lynel drew its sword to counterattack, he jumped into a backflip just in time to dodge the blade. Adrenaline pumped through his body as he landed and he unleashed a flurry of attacks at the monster. The angry Lynel swung at him again, and Link repeated this motion. The Lynel then ran past him and sheathed its sword. It got down on all six of its limbs and used the extra grip to rush towards him. Link put up his shield and got ready to hit the Lynel with it, but he never got the chance. A blue fire blast hit the monster directly in the face. With the beast stunned, Link had enough time to look up towards the source of the blast. Hiccup was hovering above him on Toothless.

"Are you crazy, Link?" Hiccup yelled. "That's a Lynel!"

"Back off, Hiccup!" Link shouted. "This thing never misses its shots!"

"Neither does Toothless!" said Hiccup. "We stand a better chance fighting it from above!" Toothless dove and landed next to Link. "Listen, tough guy. I know you're strong, but I've never faced a Lynel before, and today is not the day to do so! And if Astrid gets killed, I'm holding you responsible!"

Hiccup's words ran through Link's head several times before he realized what he had done. Without a thought for his friends' safety or experience, he had put both of their lives at unnecessary risk. He turned and saw that the beast had recovered. Steeling himself, he nocked his last ancient arrow and fired it at the Lynel, vaporizing it on impact. The anger that had consumed him up to this point was replaced by something he had not felt for quite some time: guilt. He put away his bow and took a long look at the Master Sword.

"I need to regain my focus," he muttered. He sheathed the sword and looked up at Hiccup, who was still shocked at seeing the effect of the ancient arrow. "I'm sorry, Hiccup," he said. "I was so focused on my anger that I couldn't think of anything else. All I wanted to do was blow off steam, and this was the best place I could think of to do it. I've been such a fool."

"I accept your apology, but I want you to talk to us next time you plan on fighting monsters like that," said Hiccup. "And don't call yourself a fool. I put up with people making reckless decisions all the time."

"That doesn't make me feel much better," said Link.

"What will?" asked Hiccup.

"Seeing Calamity Ganon's defeat through," the knight replied. "But I can't do that without all four Divine Beasts, of which I only have three."

"Where's the last one?" asked Hiccup.

"It's in the Tabantha region," said Link. "It'll be colder there, so you'll probably like that. But before we go, there are some things I need to do. In no particular order, I have to visit my old friend Impa in Kakariko Village, collect two shards of the dragon Dinraal's horn for the Great Fairies, and finish the Trial of the Sword in Korok Forest."

Astrid landed Stormfly near Link so she could hear him better. "Where is this dragon?" she asked.

"It lives in the Eldin region, but the only way to get close to it there is to climb Death Mountain, and I don't have enough fireproof elixirs to make that trip livable for all three of us," said Link. "If we fly, we might be able to catch it passing through Tanagar Canyon at sunset, and reach the Lost Woods before it gets dark."

"Then let's do it," said Hiccup, holding his hand out to help Link mount Toothless.

"Are you sure you trust me after what happened just now?" asked Link.

"As long as you trust me, I trust you," said Hiccup.

Link grasped Hiccup's hand and climbed into the saddle behind him. "That kind of logic is going to get you into a lot of trouble someday," he said.

"It already has," said Hiccup. With that, Toothless and Stormfly took off.

* * *

The flight was long, but that didn't mean it was unpleasant. Hiccup had read about Hyrule before, and had even seen maps of it from Trader Johann a few years before he met Toothless. The thought of dragons in Hyrule fascinated him. What if there were trainable ones? Could he add them to the Book of Dragons?

Link's voice shook him out of his daydream. "In case you're wondering, the dragons of Hyrule can't be trained," he said.

"Why not?" asked Hiccup. "I've never heard of an untrainable dragon before."

"The dragons are believed to be physical manifestations of our goddesses," said Link. "Dinraal is named for the goddess of power, Din. Besides, I can't think of a reason to train them, anyway. They're very peaceful. They don't even try to fight back when attacked. They just fly away."

Hiccup's eyes widened and he turned his head so he could see Link. "Wait a second! Do you mean to say you've attacked dragons before?" he asked.

Link looked confused. "Um, maybe 'attack' is the wrong way to put it," he said. "I shoot arrows at them to chip scales and horn shards from them. I don't intend to hurt them. I just need parts sometimes."

"How often?" asked Hiccup.

Link thought for a moment before responding. "I think this is the sixth time," he said. "Three of those times, I needed a scale to unlock a Sheikah shrine. I needed horn shards to strengthen my tunic the two other times."

"And what about now?" asked Hiccup.

"I'm pretty sure this is the last time I'm going to need parts, at least for a while," said Link. "I just need two horn shards to offer to a Great Fairy. She'll strengthen my tunic in return."

"Strengthen?" Hiccup repeated. "You mean you use it as armor?"

"Yeah," said Link. "I do the same with my trousers, but the fairies don't usually ask for dragon parts. This tunic I'm wearing is the only thing they've ever required dragon parts for."

Hiccup took a good look at Link's blue tunic. The front of it had a design similar to the Master Sword, and the fabric looked rather sturdy. Link was also wearing a guard plate on his right forearm, probably intended for use in combat. His left arm would be covered by his shield.

"Why do you go to all that trouble to get these parts in the first place?" asked Hiccup.

"It's not that difficult," said Link. "Anyway, this thing is the strongest piece of clothing I have. There's no excuse not to use it." Hiccup shifted his gaze away and looked onward. "Oh, come on, Hiccup. Have you really not had to use dragons for anything but flying? That's kind of ridiculous."

There was a pause between the two as Hiccup thought of his answer. "Actually, we have," he finally said. "We use Gronckles to make Gronckle Iron using a specific set of rock ingredients, I've used Toothless's saliva to heal my friend's tongue once, and my Dragon Blade has Zippleback gas in one of the chambers so I can blend in with dragons and blow things up if I have to. I also use kerosene gel from a Monstrous Nightmare to set the blade on fire."

This interested Link. "I wonder how my Flameblade stays lit," he wondered aloud.

Hiccup was confused by this, but he decided to leave it alone. There was a large canyon ahead and he could see the sun starting to set in the west. "Well, we're here," he said. "Where's this dragon?"

Link unhooked the Sheikah Slate from his hip and looked at the clear side of it. "Odd. It's usually flying through by now." He gazed out to the northeast and upwards at the sky. "Wait! There it is!"

Hiccup followed Link's gaze. The red dragon was flying high above the land, descending towards the canyon at a slow pace. Looking through his spyglass, he could see that the dragon had a long body with six legs and no wings. Its face was surrounded by fire.

"How is it flying?" Hiccup asked.

"One of the great mysteries of these dragons," said Link. "Nobody knows how they fly." He started to stand up.

"Hey, what are you doing?" said Hiccup.

"Getting ready," said Link. He reached into his bag and pulled out a strange bow that should have been too big to fit inside. The shock must have been evident on Hiccup's face because Link smirked at him and said, "What? This thing never seems to run out of room." He pulled two arrows from the quiver and nocked them. "If you can get me close enough to him, I'll fire these into the horn. I should be able to get two shards from this."

"How are you going to get a clear shot?" asked Hiccup.

"The same way I dealt with that Guardian turret earlier," said Link. "Only this time, I'll be firing two arrows." He stuffed his other bow into the bag and got ready to jump. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll be," said Hiccup.

"Need anything else?" asked Astrid.

"Just someone to catch me," said Link. "This'll just take too long if I find myself having to glide down to get the shards."

Before Hiccup could reply, he saw just how close the dragon was to them. Link leapt off Toothless and fired both arrows straight at Dinraal's horn. Two glowing specks fell from the horn as the dragon ascended. Link unfurled his glider and shouted, "Hey! It worked! That was easier than I thought!" Astrid positioned Stormfly underneath him and he landed behind her. "Thanks," he said, wrapping the glider back up.

"So what do we do now?" asked Astrid.

"Let's get those shards and head to the Lost Woods. We're going to be there a while."

* * *

Hiccup sat across from Astrid over a cooking pot. The strange Korok creatures had prepared a meal for them, which he appreciated. They sat in silence as they ate what seemed to be a combinations of mushrooms and fish on a skewer. He wasn't sure where the Koroks had gotten the fish, but he didn't worry about it too much. He was spending too much energy thinking about Link.

The young knight had directed Hiccup and Astrid to land in the center of what he called the Lost Woods. Once they had landed, they found themselves in a small clearing. An empty sword pedestal sat in front of a giant tree. When Hiccup had gotten over his initial shock of hearing a tree speak, it introduced itself as the Deku Tree. Even stranger were the children of the forest, small green creatures with short arms and short legs. They wore masks made out of leaves on their faces and had high pitched voices that somewhat fascinated Hiccup. Link addressed the Deku Tree directly, telling him that he was ready to take on the final stages of the Trial of the Sword. After asking the Vikings to wish him luck, he inserted the Master Sword into the pedestal and disappeared. The Deku Tree explained that Link had to overcome the Trial of the Sword to fully awaken the blade's splendor, whatever that meant. Two Koroks said Link would probably be gone for a while, so they beckoned them into the hollow interior of the Deku Tree for dinner.

When Hiccup finished his skewer, a Korok named Peeks spoke to him. "How long have you known Mr. Hero?" he asked.

"You mean Link?" It felt strange talking to a walking plant, but Hiccup tried not to show his discomfort. "Only since last night. He was in trouble, so we helped him. Do you know him well?"

"Only by reputation," said Peeks. "Oh, he also did Peeks a favor! He showed Peeks a picture of a Blupee."

"What's a Blupee?" asked Hiccup.

"It's a magical blue bunny that you can see in forests around Hyrule at night," said Peeks. "Mr. Hero's picture had so many of them! Peeks thinks he said they were on Satori Mountain. Looking for a Blupee is nothing compared to the other crazy things he's done."

"Does he put himself in danger all the time?" asked Hiccup.

"He has to, for the sake of Hyrule," Peeks replied. "Did he tell you about Calamity Ganon?"

"He told us what happened one hundred years ago," said Hiccup. "How much do you know about Ganon?"

"Not much," said Peeks. "Peeks only knows what the Great Deku Tree tells him. But Mr. Hero has been preparing to fight him for months!"

Without speaking, Astrid put down her finished skewer and walked outside. Hiccup wanted to follow her, but he could tell from her body language that she wanted to be left alone for a bit.

Meanwhile, Astrid still had a hard time understanding what all of this meant. The gravity of the situation was clear, but at least with Krogan and the dragon hunters, she had known what she was up against. This time, it felt like she was just along for the ride. She stared at the Master Sword and wondered what was so special about the blade.

"I sense your unease."

The Deku Tree's deep voice shook her from her pondering and she looked up at the tree's unseen eyes. The tree had spoken Norse just as fluently as Link, but his speech was slow. Finally, someone she could talk to.

"I just can't make sense of any of it," she said. "Link leads a dangerous life, and for what? I understand Ganon is a dangerous entity, but why does Link have to do all of this himself?"

"It has always been this way," the tree replied.

Astrid shook her head in disbelief and confusion. "I don't know what you mean."

"Ganon is a reincarnation of Demise, an ancient evil," the tree explained. "Before Hyrule was founded, Demise was defeated by the ancient Hero of the Skies. Before being imprisoned forever within the depths of the earth, Demise uttered a curse. A reincarnation of his hatred follows those who carry the blood of the goddess Hylia and the spirit of the hero. Princess Zelda is the last existing descendant of the goddess, and Link carries the spirit of the hero within him. The only weapon truly proven to destroy Ganon is the Master Sword."

"And since Link has the spirit of the hero, only he can use it?" Astrid guessed.

"Yes," the tree affirmed.

"But why doesn't he have any help along the way?" asked Astrid.

"I believe this is the first time Link has ever sought to defeat the beast without a companion," said the tree. "I sensed his stress when you arrived, but I do not believe it comes from your presence."

"Something's bothering him," Astrid explained. "He remembered something that made him completely shut us out."

"If it involves the king, I may know what it was," said the tree. "I will let him explain it to you."

"How much longer will he be away?" asked Astrid.

"Another hour, perhaps two," said the tree.

When Astrid reentered the hollowed room, she found Hiccup in conversation with the Korok, who dismissed himself and walked outside. He explained to Astrid that he had learned a lot about the Koroks. He primarily highlighted the fact that they had once resembled human children and had been called Kokiris. Astrid explained to the best of her ability what the Deku Tree had told her, and as they waited for Link to emerge, he taught her as much of the Hylian language as he could.

After an hour and a half, Link walked in, looking exhausted. He ate some food the Koroks had prepared and prayed in front of the Goddess Statue for a bit before deciding to speak. The silence of the room made his low voice louder than he actually spoke.

"What I did today almost got you killed, and I am deeply sorry I dragged you into that coliseum," he said. "I let my anger control me, and I shouldn't have done that."

"You already apologized," said Astrid. "And we've already forgiven you. What I want to know is what made you feel the need to take your anger out on a Lynel."

He gazed up to make eye contact with Astrid. "Do you really want to know?" he asked. When Astrid nodded, he sighed before speaking. "When I was first appointed to be Zelda's knight, she didn't want me around. One of the Champions, Urbosa, explained why, but I had already figured it out. Every time she saw me with the Master Sword, she thought of her own failures to fulfill her destiny as the princess who would seal Ganon away. This went on for weeks, and she made it clear that she didn't want me around.

"On the way back to the castle one day, we stopped at Kara Kara Bazaar to resupply. I had my hands full trying to buy the food we would need on the way back, so I was in the middle of a transaction when she slipped away. I heard her screaming, so I dropped what I was doing and ran as fast as I could to see what was happening. When I saw, she was on the ground, surrounded by assassins wearing red suits and white masks with inverted Sheikah eyes. I recognized them as Yiga assassins. I downed a hasty elixir in one gulp and sprinted at them, fearing I was too far away. One of them swung his sickle down at Zelda. I reached him just in time to smack his weapon out of his hand with my sword, and before I knew what I was doing, I slit his throat. He fell dead next to the princess, and I would have killed the other two had they not recognized me and run away. I don't remember much between then and what I remembered in the castle, but on our trip to check up on Divine Beast Vah Ruta, it seems we became good friends."

"Maybe her diary would help you remember more," Astrid suggested.

Link sighed. "The last time I read someone's diary, she found me out and scared me half to death by pretending to remove all of my Sheikah Slate runes."

Neither Astrid nor Hiccup knew what to make of that, so they didn't ask what he meant. "Skip to the part you reacted violently to in the castle," said Hiccup. "What happened?"

"Let me put this in context," said Link. "Zelda was discouraged by the fact that she couldn't unlock her powers, but she didn't let that stop her. I saw how dedicated she was. The king, however, being so distant from her, insisted that she was spending too much time studying the Divine Beasts, Guardians, and other Sheikah technology. So imagine what it's like for me, bowing in front of the king, unable to say a word as he berates her for slacking off, when I know for a fact she wasn't. He banned her from studying the Sheikah machines without listening to a word she said. I wanted nothing more than to talk right back to him, but I knew it wasn't my place, and I hated this fact. Zelda locked herself in her room and cried for an hour. I knew she had a bad relationship with her father, but I didn't think it was that bad. The next day, we mounted our horses and rode to the Spring of Power in Akkala. The worst of it is that the king wanted to make it up to her if she failed at the Spring of Wisdom in Lanayru, but that was the day Ganon broke free."

"How do you know that?" asked Astrid.

"I read his journal," said Link. "The first time I entered the castle, I found a secret room in the library. I didn't stay long enough to figure anything else out because I ran out of weapons I could use. I didn't have the Master Sword yet."

"Speaking of which, did you finish the trial?" asked Hiccup.

In answer, Link unsheathed the sword. Hiccup had seen the sword glowing before, in the castle, but hadn't thought to ask Link why it did that. Looking at it now, he saw that the blade was coated in blue light.

"I'll take that as a yes," said Astrid.

"Now we have to figure out where we sleep tonight," said Link. "If we hide the dragons, we can stay at the Woodland Stable."

"We've been flying them a lot for the past few days, so they're really tired," said Hiccup. "If it's possible to stay here, that's probably a better option."

"Okay," said Link. "Here it is, then. If you can find a place to sleep, that is."

"We usually sleep on our dragons when we travel," said Astrid. "Where will you sleep?"

"I'll sleep in here," said Link. "We can talk about our next move in the morning."

"'Our' next move?" Astrid repeated.

"I think you've made it pretty clear you want to help me out," said Link. "Besides, your dragons might come in handy when we take on the last Divine Beast."

"Alright," said Hiccup. He took Astrid by the arm. "Come on, let's get some sleep before midnight rolls around. Goodnight, Link."

"Goodnight, guys," said Link.

* * *

 **I expected to get to the part where Link recovers his final memory at Ash Swamp, but I ran out of room. Thanks again for reading and please let me know how I'm doing by reviewing the story! See you in the next one!**


	4. Chapter 4: Memories

_Chapter 4  
Memories_

On the way to Kakariko Village, Link explained to the Vikings what the box on his belt was. He described it as the key to his success in reclaiming the Divine Beasts and defeating Calamity Ganon. It was called a Sheikah Slate, and it served many purposes. Link specifically emphasized the map function, as well as its importance in taking back the Beasts.

"It also has a travel function, but I barely use it," he was saying.

"Why not?" asked Astrid.

"Even though I can travel across Hyrule instantly with this thing," he replied, "I never use it if I can avoid it because it's very disorienting. I almost threw up the first time I tried it."

"That's awful," said Hiccup.

"I agree," said Link. "I'm almost used to it now, because the trials I took in Korok Forest had me using that kind of transportation all the time, but it still makes me dizzy. It's why I prefer dragon flight."

"What about your horse?" asked Hiccup. "Is your horse still in Lurelin Village?"

"Probably," said Link. "I didn't see him outside when I woke up yesterday, though. Elder Rozel must have taken him in during the night."

A little while later, Link had the dragons stop. He didn't want them to be seen by the villagers yet, so he directed them to land in a nearby forest. The clearing they landed in had a strange pedestal in the middle and a large dome just at the edge. Hiccup asked Link what the dome was.

"It's a Sheikah shrine," Link explained. "They're said to be ten thousand years old, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were built after Ganon's previous defeat, should he ever return. My Sheikah Slate was the key to opening it. I can use the slate to travel to an open shrine instantly, but you know why I prefer not to."

As Hiccup was about to follow Link to the village, his attention was diverted by a low whine. Toothless stared at his rider with sad eyes.

"I know, bud," said Hiccup, scratching the dragon's chin. "I don't like it, either, but Link knows these people. If they're nice enough, I'll let you come out."

The sound Toothless made next sounded like reluctant agreement, so Hiccup continued to follow Link and Astrid. They passed another shrine along the way, and when they could finally see the village, he almost did a double take. The houses were unlike any design he had ever seen, and the people were just as different. All of the villagers he could see had white hair regardless of age, and each wore similar attire that consisted of folded circular hats made of straw, black shirts under a tan jacket with roomy sleeves, tan pants, and brown sandals. Instead of shirts, the women wore black dresses under their jackets.

To get into the village, Link led the Vikings down a trail along the cliffside. When they reached the main road, a bearded man stepped in front of them and drew a short, curved sword. "Who are these strangers?" he demanded.

"They're not Yiga, Dorian," Link calmly assured him. "These are friends of mine. I want them to meet Impa, if you don't mind."

"As a personal guard of Lady Impa, I strongly advise against this," said Dorian.

"And as a longtime friend of hers, I can guarantee these people mean no harm," said Link. "They traveled to Hyrule to learn of its fate. I think their ancestors were Hyrule's allies."

Dorian stared at Hiccup and Astrid for a moment before saying, "They are not Hylians, that much is certain. But if you insist, I will stand down. Please forgive my impulsiveness." He put away his sword and sat down under a tree with two young girls. Hiccup guessed they were Dorian's children.

As they continued, Hiccup caught up with Link and whispered to him, "What was that all about?"

"Never mind him," Link whispered back. "He was just being cautious. Dorian has a … personal history with the Yiga Clan."

"What kind of history?" asked Hiccup.

"I'd rather not say," said Link.

"How come?"

"Hiccup, sometimes there are things that should remain unsaid. All I can tell you is the Yiga killed his wife. He's just trying to do what's best for his daughters right now."

They continued down the road until they reached a staircase to a house eclipsing a waterfall. Another guard stood in front of the steps. He had much less facial hair than Dorian; just a simple mustache and a beard about five inches long. He addressed Link with "Master" before his name and allowed him to pass. When Hiccup and Astrid approached, however, he blocked the path.

"No strangers allowed!" he said. "With the recent theft of—!"

"My friends don't need to know that, Cado," said Link. "Let them through."

Calming himself, Cado stepped aside. "My apologies," he said. "With the recent theft of one of Lady Impa's precious heirlooms, we're all on edge."

"I understand," said Hiccup. He and Astrid continued up the steps. When they reached the doorstep, Link opened the double doors without knocking. The main room was mostly empty, but on the opposite side of the room, a small, elderly woman sat on a pillow between two sets of stairs, her eyes closed as if in meditation. She wore the same kind of robe the other people of the village did, but her wide-brimmed hat bore a red eye with a teardrop underneath. She opened her eyes upon hearing the door open and looked up at her visitors.

"Come," she beckoned. "Please come closer, Link. My vision isn't quite what it used to be." Link stepped forward so she could see, and Hiccup closed the doors before joining him and Astrid. When Link stood directly in front of the elder, she spoke again. "Who are these visitors you have brought?"

"They are Vikings from the Barbaric Archipelago," said Link.

"Vikings, you say?" the elder seemed surprised. She addressed Hiccup. "Did you sail here?"

"No," said Hiccup. "We rode here on dragons. I came here because I'm preparing to become chief of my tribe. I was sifting through old papers my father kept. Treaties, trade agreements, and the like. A few of them concerned Hyrule, but as far as I know, all communication ceased a century ago."

"How do you know these Vikings are trustworthy, Link?" the elder asked.

"You have my personal assurance, Impa," said Link. "They helped me when I was in desperate need of care."

"What is your name?" Impa asked Hiccup.

"My name is Hiccup Haddock," he replied.

Impa's eyes widened and she gave a small smile. "Ah, so you are a Berkian!"

"You know where we're from?" asked Astrid, trying to speak Hylian.

"Yes," said Impa. "Your ancestors were our friends before the Calamity."

"Well, that's a relief to hear," said Hiccup.

Link cut in. "Impa, with all due respect, I believe we should focus on diplomatic matters after Princess Zelda has returned. Right now, we have Ganon to contend with."

"You're right," said Impa. "Hiccup, I am certain you have many questions yet, but Link and I have important matters to discuss first."

"We can wait," said Hiccup.

"Thank you for understanding." Impa turned her gaze to Link. "How are you faring thus far, child?"

"Divine Beast Vah Naboris is ours, and Lady Urbosa's spirit has been freed," said Link. "Also … the leader of the Yiga Clan is dead."

Impa's jaw dropped upon hearing this. "Kohga … dead? Did you…" She trailed off.

"I didn't mean to," said Link. "All I did was tire him out. He summoned a massive metal boulder with his Sheikah powers and it rolled back towards him. He tripped and fell down a massive pit, and the boulder crushed him."

"Link, what were you thinking?"

"We needed Urbosa's Thunder Helm to get close to Naboris, and the Yiga had stolen it just days before I figured out how to get inside Gerudo Town," he explained. "I searched their base with a fine toothed comb, and I couldn't find it anywhere until Master Kohga showed up. I had no choice but to fight."

Impa took a deep breath. "Well, as long as you got Naboris back, that's all that matters. I have no doubt Urbosa's power will aid you along your way."

"I also fully awakened the Master Sword's power," said Link.

"May I see?"

Link pulled the sword from his scabbard and held it so Impa could see. Hiccup could see its glow reflected in her eyes. "Incredible," she said. "I had hoped to see the day you would overcome the trial."

"I finished it last night," said Link, sheathing the sword. "And there's something else. I found the location of the last picture."

"What?" asked Impa. "You found them all?"

"All twelve of them," said Link.

Impa grinned. "This is the best news. Here." She stood and stepped off her pillow. "I have something to show you." She walked slowly off her platform and past Hiccup and Astrid. "Knowing your memories would fade with time, Lady Zelda asked me to show you this after you visited all twelve locations." She stopped at a painting on the wall. "This is the location of the final memory."

Link studied the painting closely. There was a grass field with mountains in the background, but what stood out most was the presence of decaying Guardians, some sitting upright, and some knocked onto their sides. "Where have I seen this before?" he muttered. "I know I've been there." He looked down at the Sheikah Slate and activated the map, focusing it at a field south by southeast of Kakariko Village. "There! I've seen that exact place before. It's Ash Swamp." He raised the slate up in front of the painting and pressed a button.

"It will take until afternoon for you to get there on foot if you leave now," said Impa.

"Cut that down to one tenth of the time if we fly you there on the dragons," said Hiccup.

"No, Hiccup," said Link. "This is personal. If Zelda wanted me to see this location last, there must be a reason. I'll go alone."

"What will we do?" asked Astrid.

"Stay in the village until I get back," said Link. "Besides, I need to use my slate to go back to Lurelin Village and board my horse at Lakeside Stable. If I leave him there too long, the villagers will start wondering why I left without Franklin."

Soft footsteps drew Link's attention and he turned towards the left hand staircases. Impa's granddaughter Paya had been listening for a while and looked too nervous to approach. Link also detected sadness in her eyes as she descended to the last step.

"Paya, why so glum?" he asked.

Paya's hands went to her face and she whimpered, "M-Master Link, I am so sorry! The heirloom was the key to one of your s-shrines, and I let them take it!"

Visibly uncomfortable, Link took Paya's hands away from her face and said, "Dorian didn't tell you? We found it. The keyhole was in the woods just outside the village. The sphere worked. I got one of the thieves, but the rest of them escaped."

Paya's face lit up. "R-Really? That's wonderful! I'm so thankful!"

"As am I," said Link. "Listen. I'm going out for the day, but I'll be back this evening. Can you do me a favor? You know Norse, right?"

"Yes," said Paya. "Grandmother taught me."

"Great!" said Link. "Astrid here needs to learn to speak Hylian. Do you mind teaching her some?"

"I'd be delighted!" said Paya.

"Then it's settled," said Link. He turned to face Hiccup. "I'm sorry for the sudden change of plans, but I truly didn't expect this to happen. We'll be on our way to Tabantha tomorrow."

"No need to apologize," said Hiccup. "Just don't do anything too risky."

Link grinned. "If you could have seen what I went through in the Trial of the Sword, you wouldn't be worried. If it makes you feel any better, I plan on stopping by Akkala to restock on supplies." He pressed a button on the Sheikah Slate and faded into thin air.

"Shall we go outside?" Paya asked in Norse.

"Sure," said Astrid.

Hiccup started to follow Astrid and Paya, but Impa's voice stopped him. "Step closer please, Hiccup Haddock," she said. "There is much to discuss regarding Hyrule and Berk."

"Oh." Since he had been so wrapped up in Link's quest, Hiccup had forgotten he wanted to reestablish Berk's ties to Hyrule. Link had explained to him earlier that Impa had once been an adviser of the royal family, so he decided she would be a good person to start talking to.

Halfway down the steps in front of the house, Astrid decided to try asking Paya a question in Hylian. "You like Link, don't you?"

Paya laughed in response. "That sentence was great! You're off to a good start."

"No, I was really asking," said Astrid, speaking in Norse this time. "You were so flushed when he moved your hands, I thought you would reach out and hug him, but you didn't."

"Oh, r-right." Paya clasped her hands together and grinned fondly. "I won't deny it, but I don't think he feels the same."

"Why not?" asked Astrid.

Paya's grin faded slightly. "Because I think he's in love with Princess Zelda."

* * *

It was nearly sunset by the time Link reached Ash Swamp. It had taken longer than he expected to bring Franklin back to Lakeside Stable because one of the residents of Lurelin had asked him to take down a monster camp in one of the village's major fishing spots. When he reached Akkala to buy new Guardian arrows from Robbie, the old scientist insisted on him testing a short sword he had designed for Guardian combat. Link ended up buying the sword from him and using it against two Guardian Stalkers outside Tarrey Town. It wasn't necessary to take them down, as the Stalkers couldn't physically reach across the lake and harm the villagers, but Link didn't want to chance it. He also visited Granté in the town to get more information on the shield he had found in Hyrule Castle. Granté explained to him that it was called the Hylian Shield, supposedly passed down through generations of previous heroes, though they agreed it was probably a replica. One thing was for certain: it was the strongest shield Link had ever used. After restocking on arrows and selling some gems he had picked up, he used the slate to travel to Dueling Peaks Stable.

While looking for the spot the painting depicted, he had to dispatch a few red Bokoblin monsters. Even though he knew the general area, he had to look at the picture on the slate a few times to find the exact spot. When he found it, he stared at the picture and the landscape around him.

 _Rain…_

It was starting to come back to him.

 _Agony…_

He closed his eyes.

 _Despair…_

 _Hope…_

 _Death._

* * *

Astrid and Paya had decided that the best way to learn a language was to spend a lot of time speaking it, so they spent most of the day immersed in Hylian. Astrid was a fast learner, so she could speak it pretty well by evening. She was even starting to have casual conversations with Paya in Hylian. By sunset, they were sitting at a table outside one of the stores, back on the subject of Link.

"Paya, what did you mean when you said you thought Link was in love with Zelda?" asked Astrid.

"Oh, it's just something I wonder about from time to time," Paya replied. "There was an old bard of the Sheikah who witnessed the awakening of Princess Zelda's power. He passed away recently, but when he was last here, he performed a song for me and Grandmother. I don't remember all the words, I know the song was about how the princess's power awakened. One lyric in particular stuck with me: 'The princess's love for her fallen knight awakens her power, and within the castle the Calamity is forced to cower.' Sometimes I wonder, did he love her as well? And if he did, does he remember?"

"Have you ever thought of asking him?"

"I have, but I get so nervous when he approaches," said Paya. "I answer whatever question he asks me, but I'm too afraid to ask him any questions."

Astrid grinned. "That takes me back. Before we had dragons, Hiccup was the laughingstock of our tribe. He had a huge crush on me, but since I had a reputation for being tough, he was afraid to talk to me."

"Then how did you get together?" asked Paya.

Chuckling, Astrid said, "Well that's a long story, but it's a good one. Five years ago…"

* * *

Link collapsed, just as he had one hundred years prior, only this time he fell forwards onto his hands and knees, clutching his chest.

There it was.

He remembered what he had once thought were his final breaths.

So many questions he hadn't even bothered to ask Impa had been answered by this memory. Although some things were still missing, and a few questions had been left unanswered, the recollection of his final moments with the princess somehow brought a sense of closure.

 _Link…_

He looked up and saw no one, but he knew who the voice belonged to.

 _Link…_

"I hear you, Princess," he whispered.

 _Do you remember now?_

A flood of emotions overwhelmed Link and he covered his face as the tears threatened to stain it. "I failed you, Princess. I am so sorry."

 _No, Link. You haven't failed anyone. I should be the one apologizing. I failed you._

"No, you didn't," said Link. "I was the one who messed up. I should take him down right now."

 _Don't._ Her tone had sharpened, but only for a moment. _I don't doubt your ability, but it is paramount that you free the last Divine Beast._

Link put his hands down and opened his eyes again. "I knew you'd say that."

 _I'll be alright, Link,_ she assured him. _There is still time, but don't you waste it._

He rose to his feet once more and declared, "I won't, Zelda. I promise."

* * *

It was dark by the time Hiccup and Astrid next saw Link. The two girls who had been sitting with Dorian earlier had treated them to a pleasant supper of pumpkin soup. Cottla, the younger sister, tried to help Koko cook the food, but she kept distracting herself by asking Hiccup questions about where he came from, and once asked him why his ears weren't pointed like everyone else. Both Hiccup and Astrid enjoyed the company. Paya had gone back to her house to do chores and prepare dinner for herself and her grandmother some time ago, and when it was time for Dorian's daughters to go, Hiccup and Astrid were left alone. Hiccup expressed to Astrid that the discussion with Impa had gone well. The elder was optimistic that a new alliance with Berk could be formed once Hyrule was restored.

The sound of footsteps interrupted their conversation. Link stepped up to their table and sat down a few feet away. He propped his head atop his fists and rested his elbows on the tabletop.

"You alright, Link?" asked Hiccup.

Link shrugged in response. "I'm just really confused right now. I did a lot of thinking on the way back. That last memory brought a lot to light, but something's bothering me."

"What is it?" Astrid's conversation with Paya had piqued her interest.

Link scooted closer and unhooked the Sheikah Slate from his belt. Showing Hiccup and Astrid a grid of twelve images on the screen, he explained, "Apart from the memories I've recovered on the Slate, I've started remembering a few things here and there. When I recalled the one near Princess Zelda's room, I reacted in such a way that I didn't care what I was doing; I just wanted to fight something. Fighting the Stalnox didn't calm me down, so I decided I wanted to fight that Lynel. I've never reacted like that to anything, as far as I can remember, but I remember what I felt in that moment. My blood was boiling, but I couldn't do or say anything to the king. I had no reaction like yesterday whatsoever, but I was just as angry, if not more."

Without thinking, Astrid asked, "Do you think that maybe you had feelings for the princess?"

"What?" Hiccup had not been expecting Astrid to say this.

"The thought has crossed my mind now and again," Link replied, without hesitation. "It would explain a few things from my memories, but if I did, I never acted on it. I wouldn't have been able to. She was royalty; I was just a knight of the royal guard."

"What about Ash Swamp?" asked Hiccup. "What do you remember?"

"I'm not sure how I hurt myself just yet, but I was horribly injured. There was a swarm of Guardians in the swamp. One of them spotted me and Zelda. I tried to stand up to protect her, but I was too weak. She jumped in front of me with her hand stretched out to the Guardian. All I remember is hearing a loud noise and being blinded by golden light. Somehow, her powers awoke at just the right time. All of a sudden, my legs gave out. Zelda scooped me off the ground and tried to sit me up, but I knew I was done for. The last thing I saw was her face, and the last thing I heard was her ordering somebody to take me to the Shrine of Resurrection. Now that I remember exactly what happened, it brings some relief, but I have even more questions now."

Astrid thought about telling Link what Paya had said, but she decided not to. It wasn't her business. A few minutes later, Link gave Hiccup and Astrid two red rupees each to pay for their stay at the inn. With that, he left saying there was something he needed to do. The couple took adjacent beds.

Before going to sleep, Astrid whispered to Hiccup about the Sheikah bard's song. Hiccup told her it was good that she hadn't brought it into their conversation with Link, as it might have distracted him from his mission. It wasn't long before they both dozed off.

Even their worst experiences as keepers of the peace in the Barbaric Archipelago couldn't prepare them for what the next day would bring.

* * *

 **How's it going? I'm wondering whether I should shorten chapters, so let me know if you want me to go for approximately 2,000 words in each chapter, but also let me know what you think of my writing. Pardon my dialogue majority, though. I'm still working on that. I'd also like to thank James Birdsong for reviewing the story. Getting feedback reinvigorates me, so thank you.**

 **See you next time!**

 **Next chapter: Rito Village and Divine Beast Vah Medoh**


	5. Chapter 5: Vah Medoh

_Chapter 5  
Vah Medoh  
_

Link crept through the castle silently. The stealth elixir wasn't very strong, and it certainly didn't drive Guardians away, but it helped him sneak past the Lizalfos and Moblins without them hearing a single footstep. He would have told Hiccup he was going to Hyrule Castle, but he didn't want the Viking to worry. He could tell just from being around the man that he was constantly concerned for his peers, so he would have stopped Link, or at least tried to.

It wasn't too hard a trip. All Link had to do was teleport to the shrine in the castle (which he still didn't like doing, but had to for the sake of his own safety), pass through the library, run around to the west side of the castle, and climb. Unfortunately, it started raining before he reached the princess's research tower, so he ended up having to take the stairs. The Guardian turret he had destroyed during his last visit lay in a twisted pile of useless parts, or so it seemed. Before taking the last flight of stairs to the princess's room, he plundered the wreckage for anything useful he could give to Robbie.

 _Screws, springs, two shafts… Ooh, a core! That's a little rare._

Satisfied, he closed his seemingly bottomless bag and hurried up the stairs to Zelda's old room. Taking a look around, he spotted it in seconds. It was right where he thought it would be.

Zelda's diary would – theoretically – contain the answers he still needed.

* * *

The journal was helpful, but only to a point. It confirmed that he and the princess were good friends – probably best friends – as he had suspected before, but that was all. There was nothing else. It brought some comfort, but in other ways it made deciphering his past life more complicated. Deciding he would stitch everything together piece by piece later, he took up his gear and walked out onto the bridge.

He sat down on the bridge and leaned against what was left of the wall. Having taken out both the skywatcher and turret on his last visit, he was safe to stargaze for a while.

Or so he thought.

One look at the sky and he saw it. The moon had darkened to a reddish color. It was happening again. Hyrule would soon be covered in darkness, and Ganon would resurrect all the monsters that had been slain since the last blood moon, even the Guardians.

 _Link…_ The princess's voice entered his head once again.

"I know, Zelda," he whispered. It felt unnatural for him to respond to her warning, but at the same time, it felt right to do so.

 _Run._

He wordlessly leaped off the bridge and unfurled his paraglider, heading directly west. Upon landing on the prison island in the castle moat, he targeted the shrine at the edge of Kakariko on the Sheikah Slate and disappeared.

* * *

The flight to Rito Village was silent for the most part. There was nothing to explain, and nothing really to talk about, for that matter. Link was just thankful he had taken back Vah Rudania already because of its location. Death Mountain's heat would have been bearable with fireproof elixirs, but the potions tasted awful, not to mention their high price tag. The Barbaric Archipelago was north of Hyrule, so Link assumed the Vikings would be okay with the colder climate of the Tabantha region.

After a while, Astrid spoke up. "So, what are we up against?" she asked.

"First things first, I need to speak with the head of the village," Link replied. "He'll know what to do, or he'll know someone who knows what to do. One of you should reserve us a place to rest our heads at the inn while I'm doing that. I don't know much about this Divine Beast, but I think we'll be able to calm it today."

"What's this one's name?" asked Hiccup.

"Vah Medoh," said Link. "I spoke to Impa this morning, and the pilot's name was Revali. I remember a little bit about him. Not to speak ill of the dead, but he wasn't very nice. That's Medoh, up there." He pointed at a massive bird-like machine flying in circles above Tabantha.

They landed the dragons on some hills near a massive hole in the ground with a lake at the bottom. The hole looked to be a mile wide, and had tall pillar-like rock formations that resembled the sea stacks surrounding Berk. Hiccup was awed when he saw that the giant formation in the middle that stretched up into the sky was the foundation of Rito Village. A staircase spiraled along the side of the pillar, connecting many platforms and huts – they actually looked more like gazebos – together. A strange shaft of rock jutted out horizontally from the top of the pillar.

When they entered the village, things got even stranger. Link had failed to mention that the villagers resembled birds. They were covered in feathers, had bird tails, and had beaks for mouths.

"You're staring," Astrid reminded Hiccup.

"And I think they're staring back," Hiccup whispered, averting his gaze.

They came to an empty part of the staircase and Link said, "Sorry I didn't mention this before. The Rito are a bird-like race, as you just saw." He abruptly stopped. "Oh, we skipped the inn. Can one of you take this to the innkeeper, please?" He reached into his pouch and pulled out a gold rupee. "Tell her we need to reserve three Rito-down beds for the night."

Hiccup didn't know much about Hyrulean currency, but he knew a single gold rupee was the equivalent of 300 green rupees. "Why? We can easily afford three regular beds for only sixty rupees."

"Trust me, it'll be worth it," said Link.

"Okay," said Hiccup. He took the rupee and said, "How do I know which hut the inn is?"

"It's the one at the very bottom, with the moon-shaped banners."

"Got it."

"Astrid, you come with me," said Link. "Let's see about Vah Medoh."

As Astrid followed Link up the rest of the stairs, she took notice of the Rito children. Many of them looked depressed, and one was sitting on a landing, staring out at the snowy mountains. At the very top of the stairs, on the last landing, the two walked into an open hut, in which sat a large Rito who resembled an owl. He appeared to be napping in his chair. There was a small, yellow Rito next to him. Addressing Link, the little girl asked, "Are you scared of the big birdie in the sky?"

"No," was Link's answer. "It looks big and intimidating, but giant flying machines don't scare me anymore."

"No?" The girl was astonished. "That's incredible! Are you a Champion or something?"

Astrid hadn't expected Link to laugh, but he did. "You could say that, kid."

His laugh apparently woke the elder. "Ah, visitors. Welcome to–. Oh! Excuse me, travelers. Welcome to Rito Village. My name is Kaneli. I am the Rito elder. May I ask, is that a Sheikah Slate?"

"Yes," Link replied. "The very same Sheikah Slate Princess Zelda carried a century ago."

"Oh, then you must be a Champion, like Master Revali!" said the elder.

"I knew it!" the small Rito girl squealed.

"Wait, no," the elder mumbled. "All the Champions died in the Calamity one hundred years ago. That must make you an inheritor of the Sheikah Slate. Regardless, I have a request for you, Champion descendant. I would like you to deal with the Divine Beast Vah Medoh. It showed up recently, so two of our best warriors flew up to investigate. One of them – Harth – was shot down. I'm afraid Teba, the other warrior, wouldn't listen to me when I told him the only way to stop a Divine Beast is to get inside it. He intends to strike it down, but I fear he will be killed."

"Where is Teba now?" asked Astrid.

"I'm afraid I don't know," said Kaneli. "You should ask his wife, Saki. She lives in the hut closest to mine. I do hope you would assist Teba in driving off the threat."

"That's why I'm here," said Link. "I'll check with Saki and track Teba down immediately."

"Thank you, Champion deschendant," said Kaneli. Astrid could very faintly detect a smile on the elder's face. "Good luck!"

Hiccup met Astrid and Link halfway between the elder's hut and Saki's. Astrid stopped to brief Hiccup while Link made his way to Saki's hut.

"What's the situation?" Hiccup asked her.

"One of the Rito warriors wants to recklessly attack the Divine Beast until it goes away or falls," Astrid replied.

"That's foolish," said Hiccup. "Ganon's possessing that thing."

"The elder knows the Divine Beasts can only be controlled by the Champions. He asked Link to help before we announced why we were here. Did you reserve the beds at the inn?"

"Yep," said Hiccup. He held up one purple and two blue rupees. "Sixty rupees in change. I don't know why Link wants to spend eighty on himself and one hundred sixty on us, but I'll let him if he wants to."

"He's just being nice," said Astrid.

Link soon emerged from the hut and told the Vikings that Teba had departed to Flight Range to prepare for another attack against Medoh. "Apparently, it's an archery training camp. If we get there before he leaves, we might have a chance to take down Medoh's defenses and board it before the sun is down."

* * *

Upon reaching Flight Range, the Vikings were greeted by a sight just as strange as Rito Village. The range itself appeared to be an abyss with a spire in the middle, adorned by twenty targets scattered around the walls. Link led the Vikings up a wooden stepladder and into another gazebo-like structure beside the abyss. There was a fireplace in the center of the room, at which the group warmed their hands. A walkway extended outwards from the gazebo over the abyss. Upon this walkway sat a white-feathered Rito with a bow in his hand. The Rito turned his head towards the newcomers and huffed.

"I'm busy, and unless you have some business here, you should probably go," he said, his voice rough. "If you're looking for the Hebra Mountain climbing trail, you took a wrong turn."

"You must be Teba," said Link, ignoring the Rito's demand entirely. "I was told I could find you here. My name is Link. I can help you with Medoh."

"Well, you had my name right," the Rito replied, his tone unchanged. "But I'm not accepting help from some wingless Hylian. And I'm not going back, either. Not until Medoh falls from the sky."

"No need to be so hasty," said Link. "Besides, if blasting the beast with bomb arrows did anything, it would between the walls of Tanagar Canyon by now."

"What could you possibly have to contribute?" Teba's eyes were narrowed. It seemed Link had hit the nerve he was aiming for.

"This." Link unhooked the Sheikah Slate from his belt and held it up to Teba. "I also have arrows I can use against the Divine Beast's defense mechanism, whatever it may be. I've already shot down hundreds of Guardians with them."

"You really expect me to believe that?" Teba sighed. "No one's ever met a Guardian and lived to tell the tale."

"Nobody you've met," Hiccup cut in. "I've seen it myself! Those arrows can take out any Guardian with one hit to the eye. And that's not all! He killed a white-maned Lynel with just one of those things! And besides that, he's the most accurate archer I've ever seen!"

"Is he, now?" Teba stood up from his seated position. "Alright, Link. I see you've got one of our Rito-made paragliders there. If you jump off this ledge and shoot as many targets as you can before catching the updraft, maybe I'll think about taking you with me."

"You asked for it," said Link. Before Hiccup or Astrid could react, he walked over to the edge of the deck and jumped down. As he fell, six of the targets adorning the Flight Range suddenly caught fire. Nearing the bottom, Link deployed his paraglider and floated back up to the top in the perpetual updraft of the Flight Range. As he landed, he said, "They do say time slows to a crawl when you focus hard enough."

Whereas Teba's expression had been hard and cold before, it could now only be read as shocked and impressed. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung wide open. "Impossible! It was as if time stopped every time you let an arrow loose! I didn't even see you draw! You must have seen a battle or two!"

"I've seen a few," said Link.

"Don't be so modest," said Teba. "I can tell by the way you shot. Every arrow hit its mark dead center. Even I need to take a second or two to aim when I shoot in midair. Maybe I really do need you."

"Count us in, too," said Hiccup. "Astrid and I have dragons we can ride. Medoh can't target all of us at once, so we can draw its fire."

"Before I give the final word, why do you guys want to help me?" asked Teba.

"If I gave you my reason, you wouldn't believe me," said Link. "But for now, let's just say I can't bear to watch innocent people suffer. Oh, and one other thing! We are not destroying Medoh. Once its defenses are down, I need to get inside it so I can use this Sheikah Slate to bring it back under control."

"Who do you think you are? A Champion?"

"I know what I'm doing," said Link. "Didn't you hear about the Divine Beasts from the other provinces of Hyrule calming down?"

"Yes," said Teba.

"That was my doing," said Link. "If you don't believe me now, you will by tomorrow."

* * *

The cold air bit Hiccup's face as he and Link soared above the Divine Beast atop Toothless. It had taken a while to reach the altitude Teba wanted, as he couldn't ascend as quickly as the dragons could. The closer they got, the larger Hiccup realized the machine was. Its wingspan looked to be even longer than the Red Death's length from its head to its tail. Instead of flapping its wings, it relied on many sets of propellers underneath its body. It didn't resemble any bird Hiccup recognized. It had a long beak and an even longer tail.

"Can it get any colder?" Astrid shouted. "It feels as cold as Glacier Island in a snowstorm!"

"If this goes as planned, you guys won't have to stay up here for very long!" Link replied. "Once I'm inside, you can leave."

Suddenly, a red glow emerged from the wing tips, head and tail. The beast was surrounded by a pinkish aura that almost looked solid, like glass.

"Its barrier is up!" said Teba. "What a pain."

Toothless growled at the sight. "It's okay, bud." Hiccup scratched Toothless's head to soothe him. "What's the plan?"

"Do you see those cannons?" Teba asked. Hiccup immediately spotted the cannons on each tip of the Divine Beast, just outside the barrier. "We'll draw their fire while Link destroys them with his bow. You're welcome to try your dragon fire on them, too, but I doubt it'll do much."

"I'm ready when you are!" said Link.

Hiccup suddenly realized the cannon at Medoh's tail was aimed straight at Toothless. "Go!" he shouted, banking right. Link jumped off the opposite way and Hiccup lost sight of him. The bright blue beam barely missed Toothless's tail. As Hiccup regained control, he saw Teba and Astrid flying in the same direction he was going. "Split up!" he exclaimed. "It can't target us all at once!" Teba immediately flew towards the front of the Divine Beast, while Astrid started towards the left wingtip. When Hiccup caught sight of Link again, he saw that the Hylian was in surprisingly good control of his own flight. He dropped to avoid another blast from the cannon, but quickly regained control of his glide.

Once he was close enough, Link snapped his glider into its compressed form and attached it to his back. As he fell, he drew his bow and nocked an ancient arrow from his quiver. His fall slowed. He could see the movement of the propellers beyond the barrier. Having placed himself directly in front of the cannon, he took aim.

One moment, Link was falling. The next moment, Hiccup saw him fire an arrow straight into the barrel of the cannon, put away his bow, and snap his glider back up. Toothless dive-bombed towards Link, who landed on the dragon's back just in time to get away from the explosion that followed.

"Change of plans," Link said, once he was secure. "This glider is just too slow. I'll have to destroy the cannons from Toothless's back."

"Hiccup! Help us!" Astrid's voice beckoned Hiccup back to the topside of Medoh.

Teba had circled around to Astrid's position, and seemed to be attracting the beast's fire. Hiccup gasped when he noticed Teba looked tired from having flown all the way up to the Divine Beast and was now flying slower than before. The left wingtip cannon's aim was closing in on him. Stormfly was firing on the cannon, but it had no effect.

"I can't make the shot from here!" Link shouted, panic in his voice.

"Plasma blast, bud!"

Toothless obeyed. His plasma bolt hit the cannon from behind, but a short beam emitted from the cannon, hitting Teba in the leg. The Rito cried out and fell.

"Teba!" Astrid cried. Stormfly dove to rescue him while Toothless rounded to the front of the cannon. Another ancient arrow left Link's bow and made its home in the cannon's barrel. The explosion that followed weakened the barrier.

Rather than celebrate, Hiccup flew Toothless beneath the machine to regroup with Astrid. She now had Teba on Stormfly's back.

"It's bad," she said, answering the unspoken question. "I'll have to take him back down to the village."

"Stay there!" said Hiccup. "You'll know we're safe when this barrier comes down!"

"But–!"

"No buts! There's no time to argue!"

Without answering, Astrid began her rapid descent to Rito Village.

As Toothless began his approach to the front cannon, Link's gaze followed the other dragon. "I was afraid of that," he admitted. "Saki's gonna kill us."

"If we don't take out those cannons, she won't have to," said Hiccup.

"Toothless sure made his plasma blasts look more efficient than shooting arrows," Link observed. "Do you think he can take care of the rest?"

Despite the cold, a grin crossed Hiccup's face. "You know what to do, bud!"

Toothless sped up and neared the front of Medoh. As soon as the cannon was aimed in his direction, he shot a plasma blast directly into its mouth, destroying it upon impact.

Just one more.

"This thing's defense mechanism doesn't seem that impressive, in hindsight," said Hiccup.

"After Ganon's gone, I should ask the Sheikah to upgrade it so it's more of a challenge for you," Link joked.

The last cannon was destroyed seconds afterwards, and the barrier disappeared. Hiccup noticed for the first time that Medoh's surface was flat. After landing near the back of the machine, the two dismounted. It was windy, but the beast was moving slowly enough that it was bearable. Link approached what looked like an empty pedestal and touched the Sheikah Slate to its surface. A strange looking circle started glowing blue.

"You're welcome to turn back from here," said Link. "I have to activate some terminals to get Medoh fully functional again. This could take a while."

"Alone?" Hiccup was reluctant to leave Link to do the rest without help.

"The inside is never as dangerous, Hiccup. I'll be fine. Go back. Do what you can for Teba."

Unable to think of a legitimate reason to stay, Hiccup remounted Toothless. "I'll be back."

Link laughed. "I know you will."


	6. Chapter 6: Medoh's Blight

_Chapter 6  
Medoh's Blight_

Though he was concerned for Link's safety, Hiccup continued his descent to Rito Village without looking back. He wasn't very fazed by the battle; he'd suffered worse. What scared him was finding the extent of Teba's injuries.

Seeing Stormfly on what looked like a landing platform assured him that Astrid and Teba had made it to the village safely. Toothless landed next to her and Hiccup practically jumped off the saddle. He raced up the staircase as fast as he could with his prosthetic and entered the warrior's home.

Inside, he found a Rito healer tending to Teba's wound as he lay face-up on the ground. When he drew closer, Hiccup saw that the blast had burned through the Rito's leg feathers, and even some of his skin. From the burn marks around the wound, it looked like the blast had merely grazed his left leg, but the damage was done. The pain must have been immense for Teba to have gone down. It scared Hiccup to think of what would have happened to the dragons if they were hit. Astrid stood by the entryway, only able to watch as the healer did her job. She saw that Hiccup had entered the room and ushered him outside.

"Where's Saki?" Hiccup asked in a hushed voice.

"She was here a minute ago," Astrid replied. "When I landed and called for a healer, she carried him to the house and took her son somewhere."

"Teba and Saki have a kid?" Hiccup's shock was apparent in his voice.

Astrid nodded. "Yeah. I'm not sure where she took him, but I don't think she wants him to see his father suffer like this." She allowed a pause to pass. "Is Link on board?"

"He is," said Hiccup. "He said getting Medoh fully activated will take some time, so we'll have to wait a while before we pick him up."

They both craned their necks to see the Divine Beast. It still ran its course, circling above the village, but it would occasionally tilt its wings. Hiccup wondered if this was Link's doing.

"I'll go find Saki," said Astrid. "Teba's wounds aren't as bad as we thought at first."

"I'll go with you," said Hiccup. "No use standing around here, anyway."

* * *

" _You know, making me wait a hundred years is a bit indulgent."_

Link tried to ignore the mocking tone of Revali's disembodied voice as he traversed a dark corridor within the Divine Beast. He didn't remember ever speaking to the Rito Champion in his past life, but he did recall being bullied by him on several occasions.

" _Still mute? I'd expect nothing less. No wonder I never saw you make any friends._ "

Again, Link said nothing. When he reached the terminal at the end of the hall, he took the Sheikah Slate and tapped it against the pedestal. It glowed blue, signaling its activation. _Three down, two to go._

" _Still? I'm surprised someone so famous and loved as you would have nothing to say. I expected you to at least say a few words out of respect for the fallen."_

That was it. "Thanks for the compliment, but you never earned my respect when you were alive, and you certainly don't have it now."

" _I have half a mind to refuse your help and let the Calamity run its course,"_ the spirit snapped back. _"You're lucky I care for my people enough to help you."_

"I take it back, then. You have my respect for at least that."

" _If that means we're on better terms than before, I'll give you a fair warning. The blight that took over Medoh plays dirty. It defeated me a hundred years ago, but only because I was winging it."_

Link huffed. "I had no idea you had such a terrible sense of humor."

" _I can't believe I find myself saying this, but you will have my respect if you avenge me, Link."_

A small smile crossed Link's face. "Consider it done."

* * *

Saki looked different from the rest of the Rito Hiccup had seen. She had mostly pink feathers, and her beak was wider than most. Her son was half Hiccup's height and had white feathers that almost matched Teba's.

Astrid was the first to speak when she and Hiccup found the two Rito near a Sheikah shrine. "Hey. You're Saki, right?"

Saki turned towards the Vikings. "You. You arrived here with the Champion descendant, right?"

"Yes," said Hiccup. "I'm Hiccup. This is my girlfriend, Astrid."

"You're dragon riders," Saki observed. "Were you up there with Teba when he was hit?"

Hiccup noticed Astrid's sorrowful expression as she replied. "I did what I could, but he was hit anyway."

"Is he gonna be okay?" the young Rito asked.

"He'll be fine," said Astrid. "The blast grazed him. Your dad is lucky to be alive right now." Her expression lit up. "Actually, it was Hiccup's dragon who fired the shot that disrupted the cannon's fire."

"Can I see your dragons?" the boy asked, suddenly excited.

"Mind your manners, Tulin!" his mother scolded.

"Please?" Tulin corrected himself. "May I?"

Hiccup smiled. "You may, if you behave yourself around him."

A distant boom suddenly caught his attention, causing him to look up. He couldn't see what was going on, but he could see the fire of an explosion atop Medoh.

"Oh, dear!" Saki exclaimed. "What was that?"

"Link's in trouble," said Hiccup. "Come on, Astrid!"

* * *

Link felt like a coward. Even though he was certain he could defeat this blight given the time, he didn't see any immediate weaknesses. The monster had no defensive capabilities, but it made up for this flaw in its attack. It summoned tornadoes, shot miniature Guardian blasts, and destroyed all of the pillars he could hide behind. He figured he could shoot it in the eye with some ancient arrows, but the blight's attack pattern left no opening, forcing Link to guard himself with his new shield and hide behind pillars.

A familiar blue dragon blast hit the side of the blight, momentarily distracting it. Link took the opportunity to pull out his bow and loose an ancient arrow into the eye, knocking it down to Medoh's surface. Looking up, he saw Hiccup and Astrid flying towards him on their dragons.

"I'm glad you're here!" he said when they landed. "This thing doesn't seem to have any weaknesses except it can't target us all at once. Make it rain fire on that thing as much as you can. I'll try to hit it with my sword and arrows."

Without saying a word, the dragon riders nodded and took off as the blight rose again. Link finally got a chance to look at the monster closely. It was made of the same reddish purple matter that infested the castle and the Beasts, and it sported a massive cannon on its arm. Like the other blights, it had no legs. It had a face plate akin to that of Rudania's blight, but the similarities ended there. It focused on Link again, readying its cannon. Before it fired, however, Stormfly unleashed a blast of fire at its back. The creature screeched, turning around to face the dragon.

Something clicked in Link's head. He remembered how cold it was, and how weak some monsters were to heat or cold. "FIRE!" He shouted. "Its weakness is fire!"

Astrid flew Stormfly closer to Link and yelled, "We have a limited number of shots!"

"Then make your shots count! If we can weaken it enough with our combined attacks, I can finish it with the Master Sword!"

Stormfly fired a second shot at the blight, allowing Link to shoot it with another arrow. Unfortunately, it recovered quickly and hurled a tornado at the dragon. Astrid saw this and flew Stormfly out of the tornado's reach.

"Let's try to get it down, bud," said Hiccup. Toothless snorted in agreement.

The Night Fury gained some altitude and swooped down towards the blight. In a downturn of luck, the monster looked up at the dragon just before he released the blast. In the blink of an eye, the blight raised its cannon and fired straight into Toothless's plasma blast. The shockwave knocked Hiccup off Toothless and the two plummeted to the surface of Medoh.

Hiccup fell on his belly when he landed. A sharp pain shot up his right arm when he hit the surface, but that was all that hurt. When he looked up, the blight stared right at his face. In a panic, Hiccup activated the Dragon Blade and drove it right into the monster's one eye. Screeching in pain, the creature backed off. Knowing the Monstrous Nightmare gel would keep the blade burning, Hiccup stepped back and yelled, "Toothless, now!"

Toothless blasted the creature again, this time knocking it on its back. After another blast from Stormfly, the creature didn't get up, seeming too weak to fight. Link leaped into the air, drawing the Master Sword. After doing a somersault, he tried to drive the blade into the blight's chest, but it batted him away as soon as he landed and pulled the Dragon Blade out of its eye. After tossing the weapon aside, it turned back to Hiccup and Toothless. The dragon blasted the beast again without being told, and this time it connected with the creature's chest. Unfortunately, it left little impact and the creature rose into the air. Another one of Link's arrows hit, giving Hiccup time to jump back into the saddle and take off.

Link jumped behind his pillar just in time to avoid the creature's next blast. The Dragon Blade clattered to the ground next to him. _Come on, Link!_ he thought. _There must be another way!_ He picked up the sword in thought. He heard the blasts from Toothless and Stormfly. He knew the heat was the blight's weakness, but he didn't know how much fire the dragons had left.

Hiccup suddenly landed in front of him and held his hand out. Assuming he wanted his sword back, Link handed it to him, but he held out his hand again as soon as it was stowed on his belt. "Get on! I have an idea!" Link jumped in behind him and Toothless jumped into the air.

Hiccup made a hand gesture towards Astrid, which she nodded to. Link stared back at the monster as the dragons dove underneath Medoh to regroup.

"What _is_ that thing!?" Astrid shouted.

"It's a monster Ganon created to take over Medoh!" said Link.

"I think I know how we can stun it!" said Hiccup. "If Astrid and I both fly at it at the same time and fire, we might stun it again, and you can use the Master Sword to finish it off."

"Stormfly is on her last shot, Hiccup," said Astrid. "This may not work."

"Got any ideas yourself, Link?" asked Hiccup.

"Now that you mention it, I do have a few incendiary arrows in my quiver," said Link. "I could fire off a few in the air like I did at the Flight Range, but that takes a lot of concentration and effort. I might tire myself out."

"Then don't overexert yourself." Hiccup turned Toothless around and said, "Let's hit it from the front if we can. The eye seems to be its weak spot."

Together, Toothless and Stormfly ascended to the top of Medoh from behind its left wing. Luckily, the creature was facing towards them. It couldn't raise its cannon in time to counter the dragons' fire. Hiccup could feel Link jumping off the saddle, but he didn't see or hear him fire the stream of fiery arrows that flew out of his bow. He lost track of the knight as Toothless flew upwards.

A screech filled his ears. Rearing Toothless, he saw the creature lying prostrate on the surface of the Divine Beast with the Master Sword sticking out of its chest. Link stood atop the monster, trying to push the sword deeper into it. The creature whacked him away, but the sword stayed in its chest. A sense of dread came over Hiccup. The creature rose, but its movements were slow.

Link lay on the ground a few yards away from the monster. A smile crossed his face when he saw the blight struggling to move. "It's working! Ganon's Malice is leaking out!"

Hiccup landed Toothless and realized Link was right. A dark purple substance laced with black was leaking from its body. The creature turned to Link and screeched in his face. Back on his feet, he ran behind a pillar to avoid being hit as the monster exploded into purple and black dust. Satisfied, he retrieved the Master Sword and sheathed it on his back. The dragons landed behind him and their riders dismounted.

"You guys okay?" he asked.

"Are _we_ okay?" Astrid was incredulous. "You were the one who got whacked by whatever that thing was! Twice!"

"I can heal myself, remember?" said Link. "I'm more concerned about Hiccup falling off Toothless."

"I've survived worse," said Hiccup. "I'll have to check my wrist when we go back, though."

"Can we at least get Medoh fully activated first?"

Hiccup turned towards the unfamiliar voice. Beside him was a Rito who looked a little bit like Teba, but his feathers were primarily navy blue instead of white. He wore a bright blue scarf around his neck that matched Link's tunic. There was a greenish aura about him, and Hiccup realized the figure was translucent like a jellyfish. "I suppose I should thank you, now that my spirit is free, but I hope you didn't forget your mission," the Rito said.

"If you had a little bit more patience, maybe I would have spoken to you before the Calamity," Link replied. He unhooked the Sheikah Slate from his belt and walked up to a pedestal on the center of Medoh's surface. He touched the Slate to the pedestal, causing the lights that adorned the Divine Beast to change from red to blue. "You're welcome."

"Well, I'll be plucked," the Rito muttered, drawing Hiccup's attention to him. "I was watching you. Great thinking, Viking. I can tell you've seen many battles."

"More than I wish to remember," Hiccup admitted.

The Rito smiled. "At least you're honest. Link may be a hero, but he's the most modest person I've ever met."

"And you are the most boastful person I'll ever meet," said Link. "Hiccup, Astrid, meet Master Revali, Rito Champion."

" _Master_ Revali," the ghost repeated. "It rolled off your tongue so well. I wish I could have heard that from you in my living days."

Astrid rolled her eyes, but asked, "Was it that monster that killed you?"

"Yes," Revali answered. "Its name was Windblight Ganon. I fought as hard as I could to take it down myself, but I now see that even if I was equipped, it would have been impossible on my own."

"We've learned that lesson many times over," said Astrid.

"She's right," Hiccup chimed in. "We rarely take on any task alone."

Revali smiled. "There is one final thing I wish to do before I leave this world," he said. "My purpose will only be fulfilled when Medoh and I blast Ganon into oblivion."

"I thought Daruk said that was my job, but I appreciate the help," said Link. "Don't forget it was I who freed you from Windblight."

Revali scoffed. "I don't think I like hearing your voice in that smug tone. I hope my prideful ways haven't rubbed off on you too much."

"Maybe they have," said Link, with a playful grin on his face.

"Don't preen yourself just for doing your job, Link," said Revali. "Though, I must admit you have proven your worth as a warrior. You deserve this more than I do, especially since I can't even use it anymore. I now grant you my sacred power, Revali's Gale!" He held his feathered wing out, a green orb materializing in his hand. He threw it towards Link's chest. The knight absorbed it, somewhat shocked by the impact.

"Did you have to be so dramatic with that?" Link complained.

"Don't get your feathers in a bunch," said Revali. "Now that you have my power, you'll be able to ascend quite high into the air with your paraglider. Just don't use it too often; it takes a few hours to recharge after three uses."

"One more bird pun and I'm jumping off the ledge," said Link.

"Don't worry. It's time for me to prepare Medoh for our strike on Ganon, anyway. But only if you still think you'll need my help when Ganon breaks free. Otherwise, feel free to thank me now."

"I'll thank you when Ganon's gone," said Link. "But for now, I'm going back. It won't be long now."

"It'd better not be," said Revali. "The princess has been waiting an awful long time."

"Too long, indeed."

As the riders mounted up and Link sat behind Hiccup, he heard Revali's voice again. "Hiccup?"

Hiccup turned his head towards Revali.

"Thank you for being here," said the Rito Champion. "I shudder to think what might have happened without your presence."

Hiccup grinned. "You're welcome." With that, Toothless and Stormfly took off and began their descent back to Rito Village.

* * *

It was sunset when they arrived at Teba's house. This time, the entire family was there and the healer had gone. A hundred apologies fell from Link's mouth when he saw the state the warrior was in, but Teba merely smiled and thanked Link for finishing the job. Hiccup and Astrid took Tulin to the platform they had landed the dragons on, which they now knew was named Revali's Landing. There, the young Rito admired the dragons and begged Astrid for a ride on Stormfly, but she kindly refused, concerned for the child's safety.

After briefly staying with Saki and Teba, Link visited the elder, who congratulated him on freeing Divine Beast Vah Medoh, which was now perched atop the horizontal spire at the island's highest point. It seemed as if the top of the lake's central island had been carved for Medoh. Link wondered if it was. Kaneli rewarded the hero with a replica of Revali's bow from a century prior. Link didn't want to accept the weapon, as it was an heirloom of the Rito people, but the elder insisted.

Soon, Link and the Vikings had settled down at the inn, Swallow's Roost. Hiccup's right wrist had been hurting since the ride down from the Divine Beast, and Astrid soon noticed he was favoring it. After determining the wrist was sprained, she retrieved her healing kit from Stormfly's saddle bag and made him a splint. He guessed it was from his fall from Toothless during the battle with Windblight. Unfortunately for Hiccup, an immobilized wrist meant no flying for a while, since flying Toothless required a proper grip on his saddle. Astrid recalled that Link had a strange ability to heal himself from injuries, but he regretted to admit he couldn't use it on other people. The three soon settled down for the night.

* * *

" _Link…"_

"Zelda?" Link opened his eyes, finding himself in the sanctum of Hyrule Castle. _How did I get here?_ he thought to himself. "Zelda, where are you?"

" _Link…"_

"Zelda?" He looked around, but couldn't see her. "I can't see you."

" _I have watched every step of your journey. You have overcome every challenge laid before you. All of the Divine Beasts have returned to us, and the spirits of the Champions are free."_

"Is it time?" he asked, desperation in his voice. "Tell me."

" _Yes. Return here once you are prepared. I can hold him off a few days longer."_

"We'll be there before you know it, Zel. I promise!"

" _Link…"_

"Yes?"

" _Open your eyes…"_

* * *

He did. He found himself back in his bed at the inn. He looked around. Astrid was asleep two beds away from him, but Hiccup was standing over him with concern written on his face.

"Are you okay, Link? I couldn't sleep, and I noticed you were tossing and turning. I thought you were having a bad dream or something."

"I'm fine," said Link, sitting up. "Are you okay? Is your wrist sore?"

Hiccup held the wrist up, the fingers of his left hand brushing the wrappings it was covered in. "I iced it earlier. The healer who took care of Teba was nice enough to offer me some ice when I asked her."

Link picked up the Sheikah Slate from the nightstand to read the time. "It's past midnight. Are you sure you're okay? What's bothering you?"

Knowing it was pointless to lie to Link, Hiccup nodded. "Physically, I feel just fine, but I just have this gut feeling that something big is about to happen."

Link thought back to a moment he wasn't particularly proud of. Zelda had written something almost exactly what Hiccup said in her diary. He still felt guilty for invading her privacy and hoped she wouldn't know or mind. "Well, you'd be right about one thing," he said. "Something is about to happen. Zelda just spoke to me in a dream. She can only hold Ganon back for a few days longer, so we need to get prepared." He stood up and reached into his pouch. "Which means we have to heal this wrist right away. I typically only use fairies in emergencies, but I can gather more." He pulled a pink orb with green wings from his pouch and let it fly in the space between them.

Hiccup stared in awe at the fairy. He had seen illustrations of Hyrule's fairies in books, but it was another thing entirely to see it himself. It was almost like encountering a Whispering Death for the first time after having only read about it in the Book of Dragons, but this was much less terrifying. The fairy suddenly flew towards Hiccup's wrist and flew in circles around it a few times. Suddenly, the pain in his wrist vanished. Hiccup unwrapped his injured limb and tested it a few times.

"It's like it was never sprained in the first place!" he whisper-yelled, grinning like a child. "What else can they heal?"

Link shrugged. "Anything from a paper cut to a fatal injury. And don't ask me how I know that!" There was a pause while Hiccup sat awestruck at what had just occurred. "We should get back to sleep," he suggested. "We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Agreed," said Hiccup, crawling back into his bed while Link tucked himself back in. "And Link?" The Hylian turned to face him. "Thanks. I wasn't looking forward to spending the next week grounded."

Link grinned. "Happy to help a friend. Goodnight, Hiccup."

"See you in the morning," Hiccup replied.

With the pain relieved he was asleep within minutes.


End file.
